Kon Knueppel returns to lineup, but Hornets fall to Warriors before record crowd
Smiling and leaning against the wall just outside the Charlotte Hornets locker room, Kon Knueppel was as ready as anyone to hit the court, five days after going down with a sprained right ankle.
Indeed, the Hornets had their rookie sensation back.
“Yeah, the fountain of youth is a real thing,” coach Charles Lee said. “So, you know, being young, I think his body’s able to bounce back a little bit quicker. But then also his mindset, you walk past the training room and he’s in there doing everything he possibly can to come back as soon as he possibly can, too.
“So it’s a mindset, it’s his approach to attacking his rehab plan and return to play plan.”
Knueppel’s presence couldn’t push the Hornets past the visitors and Charlotte’s prodigal son on New Year’s Eve, though. Although the Hornets kept Davidson product Steph Curry from a lights-out performance, they couldn’t keep pace with Golden State in the fourth quarter and succumbed, 132-125, in front of a record crowd of 19,685 — the largest ever for a Hornets’ game at Spectrum Center.
In his return, Knueppel poured in 20 points and looked just fine.
“It’s tough to miss one (game),” Knueppel said. “I hadn’t missed a game in all of high school or college, so that was a weird feeling. I was getting real shaky before the last game. I want to be out there. But I think we got in a really good spot.
“The rehab we did starting in the third quarter of the Orlando game... And so, honestly, I didn’t really notice it out there at all. Yeah, it’s in a real, real nice spot now and I felt good playing today and going out there. And it wasn’t much of an issue.”
Keeping Knueppel in street clothes for another day would’ve spoiled the family gathering, since his brothers played in a basketball tournament in Myrtle Beach over the weekend.
He had the majority of his family in attendance. But that doesn’t mean he was totally pleased with all of them.
“Yeah, it was awesome,” Knueppel said. “One of my brothers chickened out. My parents got them all of these (City Edition sets), the whole uniform. They got the shorts, so they already had the jerseys. So they got in the shorts and one of my brothers looks really similar to me, and he was saying he was going to wear the shorts, full jersey, full uniform for the game.
“And I saw him before the game. He chickened out.”
Surely, there will be more opportunities for another Knueppel sibling day. Especially if you ask Curry. He’s become familiar with what Knueppel is doing in his short NBA tenure, which has Warriors coach Steve Kerr comparing him to five-time All-Star Chris Mullin.
“It’s impressive,” Curry said. “For as young as he is, he plays with such composure. He obviously can shoot the ball at a high level and you can’t really leave him open at all. He just had such a good quick release and shooting with confidence.
“And his playmaking is very underrated, too. So, he’s a guy I know that they’re happy to have here and his game suits the NBA style, no matter if it’s fast-paced or that run and gun or if it’s a slowed-down possession game. He seems like he’s comfortable with it.”
Just like Curry would be if Knueppel helps transform it back into the franchise’s glory days during his youth, when the Hornets were drawing massive crowds and fans wore dressy attire. Even from afar, Curry understands how much a perennial winner would be appreciated in the Carolinas.
“For sure,” Curry said. “I think it’s great for the city when both teams are chasing kind of playoff experiences and opportunities. I’d rather obviously love to see them lose twice when we play them, but for the city and for that expectation that the Hornets are good every year and a threat in the Eastern Conference, it’s what the fans deserve, it’s what the city deserves.
“And I know they’re trying to make that happen.”
Here are some key takeaways from the Hornets’ second straight loss:
What went wrong?
With 12 minutes left, the Hornets (11-22) had the lead.
But Golden State seized control on the strength of outscoring the Hornets 34-25 in the fourth quarter. So, what went wrong and why couldn’t the Hornets pull it out and halt their losing skid?
“We talked about finishing some possessions there,” Knueppel said. “I don’t know exactly what the numbers were for the fourth, but I know Draymond (Green) got a big tip-in at the end of the game and a big 3. So, if we get that offensive rebound or defensive rebound, I feel like we’re in a good spot coming down, whatever, five or so.
“But I feel like we’re in a good spot there and it’s just a tough one because they shot really well. Obviously, we wanted to limit Curry as much as we could. He’s a great player, but it just opens things up for other guys. And the supporting cast did a really, really good job of knocking down shots.”
How do the Hornets correct that issue? Simple, according to Brandon Miller.
“Just controlling the controllables,” he said. “I think Green got the second-chance point toward the end of the fourth. It kind of really hurt us, but just next play mentality and just keep playing.”
No Tre day
Looking at the box score, particularly while scanning the stats of the reserves, one thing is distinguishable: There were only two players Lee didn’t use, and one name seemed a bit surprising.
Tre Mann registered a Coach’s-DNP for the first time this season, Mann hasn’t found the same form that had him as an early leading candidate for sixth man of the year in 2024-25 before a back injury in November derailed him for the bulk of the season.
His numbers — and minutes — have taken a major dip in his previous five games and he’s gone scoreless in his last two appearances.
“Tre has definitely had a little bit …. he’s had an interesting role,” Lee said. “And so I actually applaud him because there’s been games where we’ve had him start, there’s games that we’ve had him coming off the bench. There’s games where he’s the backup point guard. And so for him, it’s been a lot of change. And so it’s been tough for him to find a rhythm. But I applaud him because I feel like the competitiveness and the mindset to come to work every day and compete every day in a game.”
“I see him fighting through, trying to defensively have an impact. Offensively, again, some games he’s handling a little bit more. Some games he’s got to play off the ball and play versus closeouts. So, it’s just been a ton of change for him. And so it’s one of those things where I think he’s continuing to just try to find his rhythm, and I have to help him with that, No. 1, try to simplify some things... And I know that at the right time, he’s going to come right for us.”
Trainer’s room is busy
It’s not a stretch to say the Hornets are a bit thin on their frontline and that won’t change much for a while given the situation with one of their reserve centers.
Mason Plumlee underwent surgery on Monday to address an injury to his right groin and is expected to be sidelined for at least six weeks when he’ll be reevaluated. The Hornets say the veteran is expected to make a full recovery.
Ryan Kalkbrenner also missed his fifth straight game, leaving the Hornets shorthanded since Miles Bridges couldn’t go after spraining his right ankle in Monday’s loss to Milwaukee. So, where do things currently stand?
Lee addressed the litany of ailments with his big men.
“Although Ryan has been doing light on court work coming in every day and just being evaluated from how he’s able to respond from that light on court work, no major update there right now,” Lee said. “Miles was able to come in (Saturday) morning and do an evaluation on court. I think that he is making progress from the injury … and then we’ll kind of just re-evaluate him (Thursday) before we fly to Milwaukee and see kind of where he is.
“Mason, we will miss his presence as he recovers from surgery, but I know he’ll rejoin the group soon.”
This story was originally published December 31, 2025 at 3:56 PM with the headline "Kon Knueppel returns to lineup, but Hornets fall to Warriors before record crowd."
