Back at home, back in the loss column. What we learned in the Hornets’ defeat to Boston
Back from another lengthy trip for a couple of days before hitting the road again, the Charlotte Hornets were faced with the task of matching up with the Eastern Conference leaders and a favorite among the title contenders.
The two teams are on a completely different trajectory, with Boston being in the league’s upper crust while the Hornets are essentially playing for ping-pong balls that could shape the franchise’s future. That’s what made the bulk of the early action so unusual, given the Hornets looked more like the ones who were playoff-worthy.
It was nothing more than an optical illusion.
Leave it to the usual culprits — suspect 3-point defense, averting from the game plan, not enough ball movement — to keep the Hornets from collecting a rare victory against a top-notch opponent. Just add the Hornets’ 122-106 loss to the Celtics at Spectrum Center on Saturday night to the laundry list of disappointing outcomes in a season already filled to the brim with them.
“When you don’t score, sometimes it can look bad,” coach Steve Clifford said, “and obviously we don’t have a lot of room for error. So, you miss a couple of shots, they make a couple of threes. .... Look, they are terrific. They are good enough to win it and they can score in bunches.
“But there is a reason they are top-8 in both offense and defense and you can’t have a bad 3 1/2, four minutes. That makes it hard.”
Bat an eye or take a peek at a mobile device for a few minutes and that’s exactly how quickly things turned in the wrong direction for the Hornets. A 16-point edge became a distant memory, instead replace by another nightmarish ending that left the Hornets searching for answers for why it’s happening so frequently.
“That’s a great question,” PJ Washington said. “If we knew the answer, it wouldn’t be happening. So, definitely got to look at it, study it, get some film in, and try to get rid of it and just get better from there.”
Sounds familiar to a refrain that’s left them bewildered all season.
“I feel like we’re putting ourselves in a position to win, but at the end we’re pretty much losing it,” said LaMelo Ball, who posted 31 points, nine assists and seven rebounds. “Just got to play hard the whole 48 minutes.”
Here are some key takeaways from the Hornets’ fourth consecutive loss:
Benched
Getting clobbered in bench production led to a huge disparity the Hornets (11-33) couldn’t overcome. Malcolm Brogdon was a one-man wrecking crew for Boston, pumping in 30 points to propel the Celtics to a 46-22 bulge.
It’s going to be hard for the Hornets to match the firepower of opposing second units when they are boasting a number of reserves who are known more for their defensive ability than their scoring. There were times when coach Steve Clifford went with a lineup that included Dennis Smith Jr., JT Thor, Cody Martin and Nick Richards.
“We just have to really pay attention to detail, including myself,” Martin said. “I blew some close outs. I’ve just got to be better with some of those close outs. I’ve got to close out and contain more from (them) getting into the paint. They hit some more shots. Brogdon got rolling, he got to the rack, got some calls and stuff like that too.
“I got in foul trouble pretty early, so I was playing on my heels a lot during the game, trying to play without fouling. So, just trying to find some rhythm. We’ve got to be better. Second-chance points killed us. We’ve just got to be better.”
Missed opportunity
When the Hornets look back at how they let this one unravel after such an inspiring start, they’ll be sick to their stomach re-living the footage at the end of the second quarter.
That’s where they failed to seize control despite holding a 16-point advantage.
While missed shots were certainly a culprit — they cooled off considerably after nailing a blistering 61.9% — the Hornets didn’t lock in enough defensively and made some silly mistakes that keyed a 15-6 spurt by the Celtics that gave them all the confidence they needed to come out in the second half and exert their will on the Hornets.
Boston also stockpiled six of its 14 offensive rebounds in the second quarter and there was a sequence where the Hornets were up 15 and yielded extra shots to the Celtics (32-12) on one trip down the floor.
“Yeah, they shoot a lot of 3s so there’s definitely going to be long rebounds,” Ball said, “so we’ve got to just get those. I feel like they were getting a lot of second-chance, third-chance, all that type of stuff. So, it’s going to be hard to win.”
Gordon still absent
It’s reaching the point again this season where Gordon Hayward is being seen more in street clothes than a game day jersey.
Hayward sat out against the Celtics, marking the sixth consecutive game he’s been unavailable due to left hamstring soreness. He’s now missed more games (23) than he’s played in (21) and is dealing with his third different ailment already this season.
The 32-year-old is getting pregame workouts in and participating in practice, but has yet to fully take the next step and make his way off the injury list and into the lineup.
“I think he’s definitely a lot closer,” Clifford said. “Feeling better. He’s able to do more. He did contact the other day. He had some soreness, but he’s definitely getting closer.”
This story was originally published January 14, 2023 at 9:22 PM.
