That was close! Brandon Miller’s buzzer-beater pushes Hornets past pesky Detroit Pistons
Things certainly haven’t been dull for Charles Lee.
After slowly climbing the bench ranks and landing his first head coaching job with the Charlotte Hornets, he’s already had his share of situations to navigate through over the past month-plus, spearheaded by constantly juggling personnel given the rash of injuries to their front line with the absence of Mark Williams and now Nick Richards.
“As a coach, it’s exciting because it’s a new challenge,” Lee said. “You want to get better at anything, you’ve got to be challenged, you’ve got to be uncomfortable. We’re just finding different ways to play and keep competing. It’s not really about the size. It’s about what’s in here (in the heart), what’s up here (in the mind). What’s your mindset?
“And at the end of the day that locker room has been phenomenal, trying to find ways to figure it out.”
Looks like a few more lessons are still in order because nothing comes easy for the Hornets, including against Detroit Tuesday night. Brandon Miller rescued them from a disappointing outcome, putting back Grant Williams’ miss at the buzzer to lift the Hornets to a wild 108-107 win over the Pistons at Spectrum Center.
“I played a little wide receiver back in the day, so I know a couple moves just to get somebody off me,” Miller said. “I think that’s just what Coach Lee preaches every day. Just being a relentless offensive rebounder. I think it was more than one person down there other than just me, and the ball just happened to find me.
“I’m glad that we won.”
Miller actually made amends for losing the ball on the previous possession, which led to Detroit grabbing a one-point edge before those last-second heroics. Malik Beasley ripped the ball out of Miller’s hands and a subsequent Ron Holland II fastbreak layup set the stage for Miller and the Hornets (3-5) to record the franchise’s first buzzer-beater at home with the team trailing by at least a point since 2015.
“It’s great for us,” Miles Bridges said. “I feel like that last play really defines the way we played the whole game — 50-50 balls, offensive rebounds and playing defense. That’s what we were doing the whole game and I guess the basketball Gods rewarded us for that.”
Now, the question is can they build on it and sustain some momentum.
“I think every win is important for a young team, for a first-year coach,” Lee said. “We’re trying to establish some things here, so any type of win, any type of momentum that you can continue to build is great. The thing that we’re going to continue to focus on is our process on every possession.
“We’re going to come in (Thursday), and still want to watch some film, and continue to learn and just keep getting better. Not relax, not be satisfied. It is a really good win, but it’s also something that’s the next part of our step in our journey this season.”
Miles Bridges bounces back
Perhaps it’s because it was the Pistons, the team located not far from where Miles Bridges grew up in Flint, Michigan, but the Hornets’ forward produced his most complete game of the season.
Bridges was assertive offensively against Detroit, posting 27 points and snatching seven rebounds. He had been quiet recently in the scoring department, averaging nearly eight points below the career-best 21 he averaged a season ago before hitting free agency.
“Just him being himself,” LaMelo Ball said. “We already know what M.B. can do. We pretty much just tell him to stay in his bag, and we feel like guys can’t really guard him when he’s attacking and moving like that. He just went in and was himself.”
Charlotte needed every bit of that production, too.
“It felt great,” Bridges said. “Just being aggressive. Coach has been on me about being aggressive, watching film. Even Melo has been telling me, ‘Man, drive to the basket. Nobody can stop you when you go to the basket.’ So, I just went out there and did that.”
Which had to be music to Lee’s ears.
“I’ve had some good conversations with Miles,” Lee said. “ ...I think he has taken it to another level with his attention to detail on the defensive end.
“...And then I think offensively he’s had the same mindset. He’s doing great in his running habits and trying to get off of it, but he’s just learning offensively the new spots where he is on the floor.”
Lee said he’s told the sixth-year pro to be more decisive.
“The message that I’ve hit him with is... I need you to be aggressive and I need you to be confident on every catch,” Lee said. “And that should not change no matter how different the offense is or where you are on the floor.”
Bridges was somewhat gimpy in the closing seconds when he fouled Jaden Ivey, landing awkwardly and twisting his right knee. He returned to action after going briefly back to the locker room area to gather himself and walk it off, a potentially positive sign for his availability for Friday’s tilt against Indiana.
“I just came down wrong a little bit,” Bridges said. “I’ll be good. I’ll be good.”
Nick Richards in good spirits, Mark Williams’ not scrimmaging
Nick Richards was in street clothes again and it’s going to be that way for a while.
Richards, out for at least the next two weeks with a cartilage fracture in the rib underneath his clavicle, watched Taj Gibson get the starting nod in his place.
Without Richards and Mark Williams, Lee called on the veteran big man to set the tone early in a rotation that included Grant Williams, Moussa Diabate and rookie Tidjane Salaün. They’ll try to hold things down while Richards, who’s averaging career-highs in points (11), rebounds (10) and blocks (2.4) through first appearances this season, heals.
“It’s really unfortunate for Nick,” Lee said. “He was playing really well on both ends of the court, so I feel for him. I think that it’s going to be by committee how we just kind of fill in some of his minutes. I think that he’s been great. He was at shootaround today, and his mindset is just to focus on the day-to-day improvement and rehab plan.
“We’ll be very excited when we get him back. Like I said, those other guys are going to continue to step up, and it’s kind of a ‘next man up’ mentality.”
It’s still unclear when the person Richards was replacing in the starting lineup — Mark Williams — will be one of the guys Lee can go to in a pinch. Williams, rehabbing a strained tendon in his left foot, is doing individual basketball activities and incrementally increasing his activity level but hasn’t been involved in full team drills or five-on-five scrimmaging.
“Mark is still in his individual workout phase,” Lee said. “Once we get to a part where he’s in group workouts or further along, I think we’ll update everyone. But as of now, it’s hammering home his individual workouts.”
This story was originally published November 6, 2024 at 11:06 PM.
