Double trouble: How Charles Lee reacted to Hornets’ losing streak reaching double digits
The Charlotte Hornets’ version of “The Core Four” is still a work in progress. But at least the quartet finally punched the virtual time clock together again.
Although LaMelo Ball and Brandon Miller healed up sufficiently to return from their respective three-game absences due to injury, their presence couldn’t spur the Hornets enough to put an end to a miserable losing streak that swelled to 10 games thanks to Sunday night’s 115-105 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.
“I thought we started a little slow and when you come in on the road and you are playing a good team like that, they definitely make you pay for every mistake you make,” coach Charles Lee said. “Whether it be a coverage mistake or a turnover.
“But then I thought in the third quarter and in the second half for most of it, we are fighting, we are competing, we are trying to find ways to continue to have better offensive possession so that it doesn’t put as much pressure on our defense.”
Ball and Miller tossed in 24 points apiece and their combined total accounted for nearly half the points for the Hornets, who’ve dropped 18 of their last 19 games and trailed the NBA’s top team by double digits for the majority of the evening. The tandem hadn’t played since Dec. 26 in Washington, with Ball sidelined due to left ankle/right wrist soreness while Miller nursed a sprained left ankle suffered Dec. 16 against Philadelphia.
Their availability marked just the seventh time they’ve been together on the floor along with Miles Bridges and Mark Williams over the last year-plus, an indication of just how rare the occurrence has been.
“Just getting our rhythm back,” Miller said. “I feel like we did a good job on some things out there, but still have to control some of the controllables and go into the next game with a better mindset.
“It felt good just to be back out there competing with my teammates. Of course, we didn’t get the outcome we wanted, but we are going back to the crib and just trying to protect home court.”
The Hornets (7-27) still have plenty to figure out in a season that’s continuously spiraled in the wrong direction. Besides which rotations work together, something that hasn’t been possible due to the sheer number of injuries, they also must be better at taking the opponent’s best effort and not necessarily wilting when the other team gets hot.
That seems to be a trend and Lee has addressed the issue with them.
“We’ve talked about being able to sustain our effort, our focus, competitiveness, our togetherness,” Lee said. “… Just trying out how to embrace some of that physicality, also learn just how to reset and refocus as another team goes on a run.
“I think for a young group, it’s understanding, ‘OK, these are the positives we kind of had to build ourselves a lead. They are making a run and now we just need to reset and refocus then go on our run.’”
