Scorched by the Heat. How the Hornets reacted after comeback bid vs. Miami fell short
Minus two-fifths of the projected starting lineup and mired in a stretch where keeping up offensively with the opposition poses a challenge for the Charlotte Hornets, Charles Lee refuses to start slinging excuses around.
“The standards will not change,” the first-year coach said. “Our expectations of each other will not change. The great thing is we understand what is expected of us, and everyone that steps on the court embraces that and they’re so excited for their opportunity.
“We have a very curious and hungry group. They know what’s expected. They all have this mindset too that they want to win and they want to help impact winning. No matter who steps out there, they’ve done a great job of embodying Hornets’ DNA and competing.”
Still, the Hornets are constantly outmanned just about every night, making things all the more difficult. They have to be nearly flawless in their execution and need heroic efforts from the dynamic duo of LaMelo Ball and Brandon Miller, and that was evident again in Wednesday night’s 98-94 loss to the Miami Heat at Spectrum Center.
Charlotte’s razor thin margin of error got exposed once more until a late surge spearheaded by the NBA’s leader in fourth quarter scoring — who else? — Ball and Miller. And it was never more evident than during the closing seconds, when a spirited comeback from a 20-point deficit got derailed by a crucial turnover and critical missed free throws by Cody Martin.
“Just didn’t make plays down the stretch pretty much,” Martin said. “We dug ourselves a hole, down, what, 20? And it’s tough to do that against any team, especially a team like that. So we just didn’t make plays down the stretch. We had a chance to win or be in position to win the game. I’ve just got to hit free throws and next time it comes around, make it.”
One bright spot for the Hornets: a career-best outing from Tidjane Salaün.
The rookie’s enthusiasm was on full display against the Heat. His trademark fist-pump got a hefty workload and he came through on Lee’s decision to start him at power forward for the second straight game with Miles Bridges (knee) out and Grant Williams finished for the season with a torn right ACL.
Salaün posted 17 points, shooting an efficient 7-for-12, and looking more in rhythm than he has in a while, which had to be a boost for the Frenchman and everyone else. The Hornets (6-12) could use a boost from Salaün while they await welcoming key players into the equation.
“I just saw, No. 1, a joy,” Lee said. “He always just brings a competitive joy to the floor. Watching him hit a shot and do his double fist pump and he’s flexing his muscles and stuff, it gives our group life. I just love what he’s given us in terms of his energy.
“Defensively, he did a great job of playing physical and guarding guys, keeping them in front and a pretty good job of defending without fouling. That’ll be another layer for him, but just continuing to trust himself, trust the contest and make them hit tough contested jumpers. Offensively, I think we’re seeing kind of like the total package. He has some times where he can catch and shoot, he can drive a closeout, he can play with the pass really well. He’s continuing to grow and I’m happy for him.”
Salaün certainly enjoyed himself.
“It was cool out there,” Salaün said. “It’s about my confidence growing game-by-game. That’s the type of basketball I like, where we shoot the ball a lot and trust the pass. I had a lot of fun out there, so it was cool.
“It’s about understanding the game and I really feel it was slower, yeah.”
He added: “I just play like it was a video game.”
Except there’s no actual console or HDMI cable in the real-life version. But pretending he’s immersed in NBA 2K for a few more occasions as the Hornets slowly get some reinforcements would go a long way in easing the sting of the losses of Bridges, Tre Mann and others.
“Even when those guys are back, we don’t have huge margin for error anyways, just because it’s the NBA and it’s tough to win every night regardless of who you play,” Martin said. “But injuries are a part of the game. We’ve been dealing with that next-man-up mentality.’’
“We’ve just got to find ways to finish and be better next time.”
Help wanted for LaMelo and Brandon Miller
There’s little doubt the Hornets have something in their starting backcourt.
LaMelo Ball and Brandon Miller are averaging 50.8 points per game, accounting for nearly half of the Hornets’ entire offensive production. That number feels even larger lately given the rash of injuries Charlotte must navigate, and asking the tandem to keep it up is a bit much.
In the second halves of their past two games leading into their loss to the Heat, Ball and Miller netted 95 of their 106 points, equating to 89.6%. Alleviating some of the burden is a necessity.
“I think that a big part of that will come from our pace,” Lee said. “I think that if we can play in the open court and in our flow, it allows other guys to get involved. There’s been times where we don’t take care of the ball. So, within flow and having that freedom, you also have to take care of the ball.
“If we don’t, then that’s when I feel like I have to call a couple more plays, and a lot of those plays are usually centered around some type of LaMelo or Brandon action. If we can take care of the ball, I think that allows us to have a little bit more motion and everyone touching the ball.”
Tre Mann return doesn’t sound close
One area in which the Hornets have struggled recently is with bench production.
Without Mann, who wasn’t available for the third consecutive game with lower back soreness and has sat five times since Nov. 11, things just haven’t been the same. And judging by Lee’s comment, it might be that way for another game or two at minimum because Mann isn’t on the verge of a return.
“He’s had mild progress I would say — not the progress that we would expect him to have after missing a couple of games,” Lee said. “And so we’ll just continue to watch him and be thoughtful with how we continue to manage him.”
Updates on Miles Bridges, Mark Williams, Nick Richards
Less than a week after re-aggravating the bone bruise in his right knee, Bridges is slowly getting back into the swing of things. The sixth-year combo forward has resumed individual activities as he hits the next stage of his rehabilitation process.
“I would say he’s definitely taking steps to a return,” Lee said. “He’s doing a little on the court now, but we are just going to continue to monitor how he responds every day, and we’ll kind of go from there. I don’t know what that return-to-play schedule is going to look like right now with him just kind of getting back onto the court.”
There’s still no clear timetable for Mark Williams and Nick Richards, either. The duo were assigned to the G League’s Greensboro Swarm on Monday for a brief practice stint with the Hornets’ affiliate.
Williams is working his way back from a foot injury that’s sidelined him since late September, and Richards has been out for the entire month of November with a cartilage fracture in the first rib underneath his right clavicle.
“I thought they did a good job responding to that first contact practice.” Lee said. “And so they’re still taking the right steps to come back soon, and I think there will be evaluations that continue to go on.”
This story was originally published November 27, 2024 at 10:48 PM.
