The second annual Arts & Science Council Midnight Marathon, a one-night-only performance fundraiser celebrating the region’s vibrant creative community, is taking place right now, Friday, April 17, in the newly renovated Carolina Theatre at Belk Place. Tickets are still available at the door and online:

Get Tickets!

The immersive seven-hour showcase features 30 local performing acts, offering audiences a near nonstop lineup of dynamic and wide-ranging art forms. Midnight Marathon 2026 features performers such as Rumbao Latin Dance, Planet Improv, Charlotte-based rapper Myrts Son, musicians including Tom Billotto and Walter Boston, readings from local poets, such as Hannah Hasan and Shane Manier, and more.

Y’all Weekly is here covering the films and performances, and you can find our updates on Instagram and our social media.

“More than just a fundraiser, Midnight Marathon is a celebration of Charlotte’s thriving cultural ecosystem, showcasing the talent that makes our city a regional arts powerhouse,” said ASC president Adam Santalla-Pierce in a statement.

Proceeds from ASC’s Midnight Marathon fundraiser will support the organization’s mission to empower creatives and strengthen communities, with a particular emphasis on expanding opportunities for both artists and residents.

Editor’s Note: Y’all Weekly editor and co-founder Sam Spencer is a member of the board of directors for ASC.

Breaking: Adebayo Foul Update

For those of you who watched last night’s game — perhaps the most exciting Hornets game to take place at the new Hive — you know Miami suffered a serious blow when an injured Bam Adebayo left the game early in the 2nd Quarter after Charlotte star LaMelo Ball appeared to grab his ankle while lying on the ground, causing Adebayo to fall hard to the court.

The obvious question after the smoke cleared from the overtime bout: will LaMelo be suspended by the league?

Luckily for the Bugs and the playoff hopes of a long-suffering fanbase, Sports Illustrated thinks not:

The most likely result, if the NBA opts to discipline Ball, is to assess him a flagrant foul ahead of Friday’s game.

That likely won’t result in a suspension. In the postseason, the NBA has a point system for flagrant fouls that can add up to a one-game suspension. A flagrant 1 is worth one point, while a flagrant 2 is worth two points and an ejection. If a player accumulates four points, he will be suspended for one game.

Hornets Advance After Overtime Nailbiter

LaMelo Ball made a driving layup with 4.7 seconds remaining to lift the Charlotte Hornets past the visiting Miami Heat for a dramatic 126-127 victory at Spectrum Arena Tuesday evening, completing an improbable comeback from a six-point deficit with under a minute and a half left in regulation. Ball delivered a spectacular overall performance for the Buzz, notching a double-double with 30 points and 10 assists despite shooting only 12/31 from the field and a dismal 2/16 from 3-point territory. Miles Bridges poured in an efficient 28 points on 10/18 shooting, Brandon Miller scored 23 points despite early foul trouble, and Coby White provided his usual spark off the bench with 19 points for Charlotte, including 14 points in the final four minutes of the 3rd quarter.

The first half was a back and forth affair, with the Hornets going up 26-18 late in the 1st quarter before Miami closed the period on a 6-0 run to draw within two points heading into the 2nd quarter. Barely a minute of game time later, Miami suffered a serious blow when an injured Bam Adebayo left the game for good at the 10:58 mark after Ball appeared to grab his ankle while lying on the ground, causing Adebayo to fall hard to the court. Brandon Miller then picked up his third foul on an illegal screen with 9:09 and sat the rest of the half, which ended with the Heat holding a slim 54-52 lead.

After falling behind by 5 points in the 3rd quarter, Charlotte finished the period on an 18-7 run, thanks to White’s scoring spurt, which turned a 76-71 deficit into an 89-83 lead going into the 4th quarter. The Buzz pushed their lead to 93-85 two minutes into the final frame, but Miami responded with a 12-0 run over the next two and a half minutes to reclaim the lead, which they extended to 102-95 at the midway point of the quarter. After a Hornets’ 7-0 run tied the game at 102, Andrew Wiggins knocked down two 3-pointers on consecutive possessions to give Miami a six-point cushion, but Charlotte sank three clutch 3-pointers in the final minute 1:17 of regulation, none bigger than Coby White’s turnaround fade away with 10.8 seconds left. The game went to overtime after Tyler Herro’s fade away 3-point attempt bounced off the back iron.

The drama reached a crescendo in the overtime period. Charlotte appeared to have the game in hand with a 125-120 lead with only 26 seconds remaining, but Herro made an awe-inspiring turnaround fade away of his own from deep in the right corner to draw Miami within two points. On the ensuing Hornets possession, Ball turned the ball over in the back court on an attempted pass to Sion James and then fouled Herro on a 3-point attempt from the left corner with 8.7 seconds left. Herro calmly sank all three attempts, leading to Ball’s heroic, season-saving layup. The game ended on a Miles Bridges block of a layup attempt by Davion Mitchell, who led Miami with 28 points.

Andrew Wiggins scored 27 for the Heat, and Tyler Herro added 23 points.

Keys to the Game

Despite his poor shooting from three, Ball was the ultimate difference-maker for Charlotte, scoring timely baskets and masterfully distributing the ball to his teammates to the tune of 10 assists and only three turnovers.

Coby White’s 14-point 3rd quarter scoring spurt and game-tying long-range bomb at the end of the 4th quarter were huge for the Buzz. The crowd roared its appreciation at the end of the third, loudly chanting his name over and over again.

Buzz Bright Spots

The Hornets were clutch when it mattered most, starting with Bridges’ 3-pointer with 1:17 left in regulation to cut the Heat lead in half at 111-108. Miller then made another three from the top of the key to make it 112-111 before White’s epic game-tying shot sent the game to overtime, which ended with LaMelo’s basket and Bridges’ game-securing block.

When asked if the win embodies the team’s identity, head coach Charles Lee’s response left no doubt.

“Definitely, it just shows the character of the team,” said Lee. “I think at the end of the day, execution is not always going to be perfect, but I think that these guys find a way to stick with it and not give in sometimes when things aren’t going well or not going your way, I think that’s where I see the most growth and maturity from our group is just finding a way to respond.”

Buzzworthy Facts

Charlotte’s win was their first postseason home win in a decade. Their last such victory also came against Miami, a 90-88 triumph in Game 5 of the first round of the 2016 playoffs.

Ball and rookie of the year candidate Kon Knueppel shot a combined 2/22 from 3-point territory, with Knueppel shooting 0/6 and 2/12 overall from the field, making the Hornets’ win all the more improbable and impressive.

What’s Next

The 76ers and Magic will take the court tonight in Philadelphia, with the winner entering the playoffs as the #7 seed in the Eastern Conference, and the loser hosting the Hornets in a second win-or-go-home game for the Buzz. The winner of that Play-In game will claim the #8 seed and final playoff spot in the East, facing the #1 seeded Detroit Pistons.

Another question will loom over the Hornets all week: will LaMelo Ball be suspended for grabbing Bam Adebayo’s ankle?

Whether the Hornets travel to Philadelphia or Orlando on Friday night, they’ll be competing for the team’s first playoff appearance since Kemba Walker led the Bugs in a 2016 series against the Heat.

Are the Hornets entering the postseason with a fourth quarter curse?

On Tuesday, April 7 against the Boston Celtics (35-16, 2nd in the East), and then again on Friday, April 10 against the Detroit Pistons (59-22, 1st in the East), the Charlotte Hornets (43-38, 9th in the East) played three tight quarters against the top teams in the Eastern Conference.

Then they fell apart.

In Boston, Charlotte trailed 87-90 after three quarters, with 36 points from LaMelo Ball. In the fourth quarter, however, Ball didn’t make a single shot, and the Hornets travelled home with a 102-113 loss.

While the same 4th Quarter fate befell the Bugs at home against Detroit, the Hornets have faced one of the toughest schedules in the home stretch. They enter the postseason guaranteed a spot in the Play-In Tournament, and with one game to go the Hive has to feel happy about a team that head coach Charles Lee and the Hornets’ front office have turned around faster than expected thanks to healthy starters, smart trades, and a revelatory rookie year from first round draft pick Kon Knueppel.

Unsurprisingly, Lee told reporters this week that he thinks Knueppel should be the NBA Rookie of the Year

“I understand why the race [for Rookie of the Year] is tight. The rookie class this year has been pretty impressive,” said Lee. “But I said it about a month ago: to me, it’s not even close. I still feel that way. I think that this period of time has shown it even more. When you have a guy who’s been as productive as Kon has been, when he’s been as consistent as he is, and as efficient as he’s been on a playoff-caliber team, I think that’s pretty impressive.

The Hornets close out the regular season Sunday evening at Madison Square Garden against the Knicks. The stakes will be high for the Buzz as they fight to clinch a home game against Miami in the 9-10 matchup of the NBA Play-In Tournament. If Charlotte loses to New York, and Miami wins their game against the Hawks, the Heat will host Charlotte on account of their 3-1 advantage in the season series.

Even if the Hornets lose to the Heat in the Play-In Tournament, they have a season to be proud of — and sky-high expectations for next year.

Cold-Shooting Hornets Lose Home Finale to Pistons

4th quarter collapse dooms Charlotte as Detroit takes the season series 4-0

By Adrian Singerman

The Eastern Conference-leading Detroit Pistons defeated the Charlotte Hornets 105-120 at Spectrum Arena on Friday night, knocking the Hornets out of contention for direct entry into the playoffs and locking them into a play-in game against divisional rival Miami. A game that featured 11 lead-changes and 13 ties through three quarters turned into a rout as Detroit put away the Buzz with an 18-2 run to start the fourth quarter. All-Star center Jalen Duren led five Pistons in double figures with 20 points, and Duncan Robinson added 19 points of his own. LaMelo Ball led the way for Charlotte with 27 points, 20 of which came in a dazzling first-half display of long-range shooting, and Brandon Miller scored 22 points.

It was evident from the start that there was no love lost between the two squads following their early February fracas that led to four players being suspended for multiple games. Less than two minutes into the contest, double technical fouls were assessed to Miller and Robinson after an alley-oop dunk by Miller, whose momentum as he released the rim carried him into the Pistons’ sharpshooter.

Though things settled down from there, both teams played with playoff like intensity for the the first three quarters. Already having locked up the top seed in the Conference, Detroit nevertheless played their normal starting unit, using their suffocating defense and timely shooting to keep the Hornets at bay. Charlotte did their best to hang with Detroit for as long as they did, trailing by only three points at halftime and after three quarters, but the Pistons’ fourth quarter surge proved decisive.

Keys to the Game

Charlotte managed only 10 points in the 4th quarter, as Detroit outscored them by fifteen in the period. For the game, Charlotte shot just 39% from the field overall and 28% from 3-point territory.

Detroit hounded the Buzz on the defensive end all evening, forcing Charlotte into 15 turnovers, 13 of which were steals and many of which were live-ball turnovers that turned into easy breakaway baskets.

The Pistons dominated the paint all evening, pouring in 62 points in the paint and collecting 16 offensive rebounds. Hornets head coach Charles Lee pointed to Detroit’s physicality as the turning point in their victory: “They’re good at being physical and getting to the paint. And I think offensively, we let some of their physicality bother us. Our screening was not physical enough, way too may guys going under. Not the group that I think we’ve been the last couple of weeks, and what we’ve built throughout the season.”

Buzz Bright Spots

When asked after the game what the message was in the locker room following the Hornets’ loss, Grant Williams offered a philosophical response: “Control what you can control. You can’t look ahead. We have one more game where we can get back to playing Hornets basketball, and also help us execute. This group, we’re a young group. I went through this in Boston. You have some moments- you can consider it maturity, you can consider it mindset, whatever it is- but the group just stays together. A night like this can really put things into perspective, and this season has really helped us get those learning moments. You look at the last game with Boston; we saw coverages that we have’t seen in a while. Playoff basketball brings the best out of teams and starts bringing things that you probably don’t see in the regular season and don’t have time to evaluate.”

Buzzworthy Facts

With his two 3-point baskets, Brandon Miller became the third Hornets player to make 200 3-pointers this season, joining rookie sharpshooting sensation Kon Knueppel and star guard LaMelo Ball. The Hornets are just the fourth team ever to feature three players with 200 made threes in a season, joining the 2016-17 Rockets, the 2022-23 Warriors, and the 2024-25 Celtics.

Also, since Miller had a dunk off of one of these passes against Detroit: if you were ever wondering why it’s called an alley-oop, the basketball term is derived from the French phrase "allez! hop!"

What’s Next

As Charlotte heads to New York, Detroit travels to Indiana to finish their regular season slate against the Pacers Sunday evening.

It’s only March, but the Charlotte Hornets (36-34, 10th in the East) have just about clinched a post-season appearance.

They’re 7.5 games ahead of the 11th place Milwaukee Bucks (28-41), but only 2.5 games behind the 6th place Atlanta Hawks (38-31), and a 6th place finish would mean avoiding the Play-In Tournament. On the other end, the Hornets would need to lose all of the rest of their games and the Bucks would need to finish 8-5 to catch up (the Bucks do, in fact, own the head-to-head tiebreaker).

Neither situation seems likely.

The Hornets are 16-4 in their past 20 games, or .800. With that same level of performance in their final 12 games, that would mean a 9-3 finish; even without that level of production, the Bugs seem bound for their first season above .500 since 2022, and their fifth winning season since the beginning of the Uptown era.

With all of the momentum, and the hope-ium in the Hive turned up to 11, the organization came together Thursday night to honor the OG Hornet himself, the Sixth Man, Dell Curry. Curry is just the second player in franchise history to have his jersey retired, joining Bobby Phills, who was honored posthumously in 2000 following his tragic death in a car accident.

Curry’s children — including Stephen, who has missed almost 20 games this season with a knee injury, and Seth, who played for the Hornets last year — and grandchildren were in attendance as Dell’s banner was raised.

When asked before the game what the city of Charlotte and the Hornets organization have meant to him, Curry — who serves as a Hornets’ team ambassador as well as their color commentator alongside Eric Collins — had this to say:

“It’s the people, first and foremost. It’s always felt like a family in the Charlotte community, and definitely in this organization. We’ve had a lot of owners, but this group has really wrapped their arms around me as a legend, and Muggsy and everybody else, all the other players and employees that are still with this organization. I’ve been in this city since 1988, so I’ve got a ton of friends and family who live here. From the workers, the staff, the people in this building, people at the old ‘hive’, again, it’s just a family feeling from my time back then and all the way up until now that makes me really proud to still be a part of this organization.”

Multiple Double-Doubles Drown Miami

LaMelo Ball scores 30 points as the Hornets prevailed 106-136

By Sam Spencer

The Miami Heat (38-32, 8th in the East) didn’t have hot hands at the Spectrum Center on Tuesday night, and after his sensational 83-point-game the week before, Bam Adebayo was out with an injury to his right calf.

While the Heat took the season series over the Charlotte Hornets 3-1, the Hornets were the (much) better team for their final regular season meeting.

LaMelo Ball had 30 points and 12 assists, while Miles Bridges had 14 points and 10 rebounds in the dominant, 30-point win.

Ball started early in the 1st quarter, and Hornets went into Miami’s first timeout up 8-12, with half of those from Ball. The Heat’s shots weren’t falling, but Charlotte was getting the second chance points; Bridges and Moussa Diabaté both had 5 boards in the first six minutes, with Diabate earning 13 total rebounds over the course of the game.

Miami adjusted quickly, tying the score at 14 within two minutes and forcing a Charlotte time out.

When Charlotte took the court next, Brandon Miller responded as he has many times this season by making a trey from downtown. Miami couldn’t get a three-pointer to fall in the first 10 minutes, missing their first 7. However, much of the rest of the half from the Bugs was sloppy, and the 1st quarter ended 24-26 in favor of the home team, with both teams sharing a 38.5% field goal percentage.

The 2nd quarter started off with a “Knueppel triple” – it’s clear Hornets’ PA announcer Shawn Parker has been working on that one – but the rookie wasn’t afraid to diversify his selection, shooting from both inside and outside the paint, and earning three point plays the old-fashioned way. Kon Knueppel had 22 points despite getting in foul trouble (5 personal fouls).

The lead went back and forth for the rest of the half, with both teams improving their shooting as the starters came back on the court. Ball shot confidently from three – regardless of the outcome – and led the Hornets in the first half with 16 points.

A 2nd quarter standout for the team was recent addition Coby White, who ended the half with 11 points, but came out with four minutes left after committing his third personal foul.

Ball picked up where White left off, putting the Hornets back ahead with a quick layup, but the lead continued to change hands.

Ball’s skill as a playmaker was also on display, with a smooth alley-oop to Diabate putting the Hornets ahead again, 52-54, in the closing minutes of the half.

Charlotte came out of the locker room hot, going on a 7-0 run and forcing a Miami timeout before many halftime concessions customers had made it back to their seats.

The crowd started to react poorly to the officiating, especially a foul called against Sion James, as Miami tightened the score with six minutes to go in the quarter.

The Hornets started to pull away in the closing minutes of the quarter thanks to two consecutive, silky three-pointers from Ball and White, but Miami immediately responded with two of their own, making it a one possession game yet again.

Then Coby White lit the building on fire, scoring 8 consecutive points and forcing a Miami timeout with an effortless, pull-up jumping three from 25 feet.

Charlotte remained in control for the rest of the quarter, leading 88-96 going into the final twelve minutes.

The first couple of minutes didn’t improve Miami’s situation, and a string of turnovers – coupled with a highlight reel-worthy play from Ball – led to the Heat using all but one of their timeouts with more than nine minutes to go.

The Hornets would then go on a 14-0 run.

Brandon Miller sank two consecutive threes to expand the lead to 19, and Knueppel drew a foul on his three-point attempt to widen the gap, making all three. Knueppel added a three of his own during Miami’s cold streak, Diabaté made a play off his own rebound … it was a dominant performance all around.

Hornets fans started to leave the Spectrum Center early, long before the third string players came on.

These days, they get to do so knowing their team won.

Keys to the Game

While Charlotte was up a comfortable 8 points going into the 4th quarter, that’s not much of a lead in the high-scoring, fast paced NBA of today. However, outscoring your opponent 18-40 in one quarter is usually going to do the trick.

By missing every three-pointer in the final quarter, Miami only shot 19% from three over the course of the game. Charlotte shot 40% from three, and also bested Miami in overall field goals (40% to 53%).

Buzz Bright Spots

With the team honoring Dell Curry this week, it’s worth mentioning that Coby White is already making a difference not unlike Curry during the 1993-94 Hornets season, when #30 won the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year award as an impact player off the bench.

White had 24 points in only 20 minutes of play.

Also, there was this LaMelo Ball play …

Buzzworthy Facts

With a much easier basket during the 3rd quarter, LaMelo reached 6,000 career points during the game.

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Hornets Manage Magic on Dell Curry Night

Charlotte takes season series against Orlando three games to one, honors former Hornets great

By Adrian Singerman

It was Hornets legend Dell Curry’s night, but that didn’t stop the new generation from showing up.

On the night they retired the jersey of perhaps the greatest shooter in franchise history, the Charlotte Hornets put on a scintillating shooting display Thursday evening to take a one-sided 111-130 victory against divisional rival Orlando Magic (38-31, 7th in the East).

Charlotte put together a dominant two-quarter stretch spanning both halves, outscoring Orlando 76-45 across the second and third quarters to put the game away well before its conclusion. Coby White led the way with an efficient 27-point performance in 23 minutes off the bench, Brandon Miller scored 15 of his 25 points in the third quarter, and LaMelo Ball added 20 points for Charlotte. Desmond Bane paced the Magic with 24 points, and Paolo Banchero tallied 20 points and seven assists.

The Magic got off to a hot start, making 6 of their first 7 shots and jumping out to a 19-11 lead, an advantage they maintained for much of the first quarter. Down 30-22, the Hornets responded with a 12-2 run to close out the quarter and take a 34-32 lead into the second, a lead they never relinquished.

The Buzz then proceeded to make 16 threes across the dominant second and third quarters, turning a close game into a rout. With the game firmly in hand heading into the final frame, Charlotte took its foot off the gas, allowing Orlando to make the final score more respectable.

Keys to the Game

With the Orlando offense humming and LaMelo Ball on the bench with two early fouls in the first quarter, Charlotte found themselves down 30-22 and struggling to keep pace with the Magic. Enter Coby White. The newest Hornet provided an immediate spark with seven quick points and a beautiful dish to Ryan Kalkbrenner for an and-one to tie the game at 32. Charlotte never trailed again.

With the Hornets up 42-37 just over four minutes into the second quarter, a 4-point play by Knueppel put the Hornets up nine, their largest lead of the game up to that point. On the very next play, Knueppel grabbed a rebound off a Magic miss and whipped a pass from beyond half court to the left side corner to a wide open Sion James, who calmly sank a three to extend Charlotte’s lead to 12 and force a timeout by Orlando.

As things continued to unravel for the Magic, head coach Jamahl Mosley was hit with two consecutive technical fouls during a stoppage in play at the 5:14 mark of the second quarter, resulting in his ejection.

The Hornets nearly notched another 50-40-90 game as a team, shooting 53% overall, 48% from three (22/46), and 89% from the line (24/27).

Buzz Bright Spots

At halftime, the Hornets honored Curry, the first player ever selected by the organization in the 1988 expansion draft, by retiring his jersey.

After the game, head coach Charles Lee chimed in on what it was like to get the win on DC30: “It was amazing. Perfect ending to a great day to celebrate a great man that’s done so much for us. We love that he was able to come into the locker room and break it down for us. I think the guys enjoyed his speech postgame way better than mine.”

Buzzworthy Facts

In his 10 years with the team, Curry racked up 9,839 points, good for second in franchise history behind all-time leader Kemba Walker, who amassed 12,009 points in his eight years with the club. He also ranks first in franchise history in seasons (10) and games played (701).

For the second straight game, White posted a personal high in points as a member of the Hornets. He followed his 24-point performance against Miami Tuesday night with 27 points against the Magic.

The only bad news for White was when Knueppel told him during the game that White’s alma mater, Carolina, had been unceremoniously knocked out of the NCAA Tournament by VCU.

“As soon as I stepped out in the 4th quarter, Kon (Knueppel) could not wait to tell me,” White said in a postgame interview. “He was like, 'Man, you had a great day... not such a great day for your Tar Heels, though.”

What’s Next

The Buzz close out the month of March with the final five home games of their season-long seven-game home stand, starting with an inter-conference tilt against the struggling Memphis Grizzlies this Saturday evening. Tipoff is scheduled for just after 7 p.m.

Charlotte remains comfortably in position to make the play-in as the 10 seed with a seven and a half-game cushion over the eleventh place Milwaukee Bucks. Sitting only two and a half games back of 7th place Orlando and 6th place Atlanta, a strong finish could see the Hornets earn a home game in the 7th/8th place matchup or even direct entry into the playoffs as the 6th seed.

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New Today

Matt at the Movies

Matt at the Movies took over our Instagram timeline Sunday night, reporting live from the annual Academy Awards party at Independent Picture House. Matt, Dana Gillis, and IPH executive director Brad Ritter all correctly picked One Battle After Another as the Best Picture award winner.

Matt also brought his locks to the table, writing, “I can confidently bet my life savings on Jessie Buckley for Best Actress, KPop Demon Hunters for Animated Feature, and ‘Golden’ for Best Original Song” in addition to picking Sinners for Best Score and first-time winner Paul Thomas Anderson for Best Director.

Luckily for Matt’s savings, all five of his “locks” proved correct, as well as the predictions he gave to Queen City News.

And the Oscar Goes To …

• Best Picture: One Battle After Another

• Best Director: Paul Thomas Anderson, One Battle After Another

• Best Actress: Jessie Buckley, Hamnet

• Best Actor: Michael B. Jordan, Sinners

• Best International Feature Film: Sentimental Value

• Best Supporting Actress: Amy Madigan, Weapons

• Best Supporting Actor: Sean Penn, One Battle After Another

The full list of winners and nominees is available here.

Soccer Sheet

Messi-less Miami Ties Charlotte, 0-0

March 14 is Pi Day, so it’s fitting Charlotte FC’s match against Inter Miami CF ended with two round numbers, O-O, as the final score at Bank of America Stadium…

Read more

a month ago · Rebekah Whilden, Jake Sokol, and Jorge Torres

Soccer Season is in Full Swing

For the first time this calendar year, Charlotte’s four professional soccer teams all hit the pitch. Charlotte FC drew a Messi-less Inter Miami CF 0-0, with Soccer Sheet by Y’all Weekly reporting earlier in the day that Lionel Messi was unlikely to play.

Here’s the breakdown:

• Carolina Ascent FC won at home 1-0 against the reigning Super League champion Tampa Bay Sun thanks to a goal from new addition Tyler Lussi, who most recently played for the NC Courage of the NWSL.

• The Charlotte Independence drew Westchester SC 1-1 in their first match of the year, with 17-year-old Viggo Ortiz tying the game in the 97th minute in his first-ever appearance for the Jacks. The Independence are home (at Matthews Sportsplex, not Memorial Stadium) this week for the first round of the U.S. Open Cup on Thursday.

• Crown Legacy FC, Charlotte FC’s reserve team, leads the MLS NEXT Pro standings with an undefeated record, three straight wins, and Legacy’s Rodolfo Aloko leads the league in goals with 5.

The CLT Calendar

Ongoing

• If you’re in the Plaza Shamrock Neighborhood, the “Shamrock I Spy” pieces are still sticking around from Shamrock Fest this weekend.

Today, Tuesday, March 17 - St. Patrick’s Day

• The Mecklenburg County Commission meets at 5 PM. On the docket are appointments to the citizens’ committee overseeing next year’s property revaluation — and for many county residents, higher tax bills.

  • Note: due to a national conference, there was no Charlotte City Council meeting this week. They will return for the zoning meeting next Monday, March 23.

• The Charlotte Hornets host the Miami Heat at the Spectrum Center. Tip off at 7:00 PM. In addition to the red-hot Hornets, it’s a chance to see Miami’s Bam Adebayo fresh off his historic 83-point game.

  • Follow Y’all Weekly on social for live coverage:

    • Instagram

    • Twitter

Wednesday, March 18

A tip of the hat to the excellent Charlotte Optimist for pointing this one out:

• U.S. Bank is hosting a summit on business succession and legacy planning this Wednesday, March 18, 9AM to 2PM, in SouthPark. Michael and Jason Stier, featured in this Optimist article, are keynote speakers. Register here.

Thursday, March 19 - March Madness Begins

• The Charlotte Independence host the first round of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup at the Sportsplex in Matthews. Tickets start at $16.

• The Charlotte Hornets host the Orlando Magic at the Spectrum Center. Tip off at 7:00 PM.

Friday, March 20 - Eid al-Fitr

Eid al-Fitr marks the end of the holy month of Ramadan.

• The Queen City Eid Celebration at the Islamic Center of Charlotte, 8310 Harrisburg Road in Charlotte, runs from 4 PM to 11 PM. Tickets are available here, and both Muslims and non-Muslims are welcome.

• Theatre Charlotte’s God of Carnage opens. “A comedy of manners…without the manners. Winner of the 2009 Tony Award®, God of Carnage is a brash and hilarious exploration of human nature.” Tickets available here.

• Queens University is in the NCAA Mens’ Basketball tournament for the first time. The #15 seeded debutants face #2 Purdue in St. Louis at 7:35 PM ET on TV screens across Charlotte.

Saturday, March 21

• The Charlotte Hornets host the Memphis Grizzlies at the Spectrum Center. Tip off at 7:00 PM.

• Charlotte FC hosts New York Red Bulls at Bank of America Stadium, with kickoff set for 7:30 PM

  • Follow Soccer Sheet on social for live coverage:

    • Bluesky

    • Instagram

    • TikTok

    • Twitter

Sunday, March 22

• Looking for a cheaper alternative to Charlotte FC matches? The undefeated Crown Legacy FC host I-85 rivals Atlanta United 2 at the Matthews Sportsplex.

In Case You Missed It …

While ACC Championship weekend just ended, the Hive is still alive this season. Rookie sharpshooter Kon Kuneppel leads the league in three-point shots made, LaMelo Ball is actually #2 in that category, while Brandon Miller and Moussa Diabaté are joining them to make the best starting lineup in the NBA.

Go see some community art in Plaza Shamrock:

Charlotte FC earned their first win of the season against Austin FC, as the team came back to the Bank for the first time this year:

Soccer Sheet

Charlotte FC Earn First Win of the Year Against Austin, Face Miami Tonight ... But Where is Messi?

VAR giveth, and VAR taketh away…

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a month ago · 4 likes · Sam Spencer, Jorge Torres, Seth Koch, and Rebekah Whilden

Matt at the Movies did a good job predicting the Oscars:

Matt at the Movies

The Oscars Exchange: Part 1

We are back for the second half of our Academy Awards predictions. In our previous installment, we focused on most of the “below the line” categories, which you can view here. Today, we look at who has the most juice after the awards circuit and Best Documentary Feature. We have two special guests joining us today, including Brad Ritter, the Independent…

Read more

2 months ago · Matt at the Movies and Y’all Weekly

RSVP to the Launch Party

Thanks to a Neighborhood Matching Grant from the City of Charlotte, the Plaza Shamrock Neighborhood Association brings a unique public art project to life. Shamrock I Spy is a neighborhood-wide sculpture trail featuring 14 handmade critters created by Charlotte artist and Plaza Shamrock neighbor Nico Amortegui.

The idea began with a small group of neighbors who wanted to bring public art to the community. But Plaza Shamrock, with more than 1,000 homes, doesn’t have a central park or gathering space where a single sculpture could live. Instead, neighbors got creative: they decided to create multiple small sculptures and spread them throughout the neighborhood, hosted in front yards of residents.

Colorful birds, cats, turtles, and other whimsical creatures are tucked into yards and hanging from trees across Plaza Shamrock. Each sculpture has its own personality, turning an ordinary walk into a neighborhood-wide scavenger hunt.

To celebrate, the neighborhood will host a Shamrock I Spy Art Launch Party this Saturday, inviting residents and visitors alike to walk the neighborhood and discover the sculptures.

Amortegui’s primitivist, symbolistic neo-expressionism has been visible in Charlotte’s public spaces for years, most notably decorating exterior and interior spaces at NoDa’s Salud Cervezeria.

It’s a reminder that even a small neighborhood organization, powered by a handful of volunteers and support from grants, can create public art for everyone to enjoy.

Some may consider it cheating, but you can find a map of all of the critters here.

Since we last checked in on the Charlotte Hornets (32-33, 10th in the East) they did something no Charlotte team has done since 2022: reach March with a winning record.

After three strong road wins in a row against the Washington Wizards, Chicago Bulls, and Indiana Pacers — all by 17 points or more — the Bugs returned to Charlotte to face the Portland Trail Blazers and Dallas Mavericks (write-ups below) before traveling to Boston to win their 10th away game in a row, setting a franchise record with the 29 point win.

Unfortunately for the Hornets, they lost one at home to Miami (photos below), and dropped another on the road in Phoenix to end their away winning streak, but they’re still holding on to 10th place and a spot in the postseason Play-In Tournament.

Furthermore, rookie sensation Kon Kneuppel is still at the top of the NBA’s “Rookie Ladder” rankings ahead of the final stretch; his main opposition for the title, Cooper Flagg, didn’t suit up for the Mavericks in Charlotte last week. He was awarded his 4th Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month award before the loss to Miami.

Charlotte has a late game against the Trail Blazers in Portland tonight; a win will take them back to .500 with 16 regular season games left to play.

Charlotte Easily Handles Blazers on HBCU Day

There are no HBCUs in Oregon, but that wasn’t why the Portland Trailblazers fell 93-109 during the Charlotte Hornets’ HBCU Day celebrations at the Spectrum Center.

Instead, poor shooting on Portland’s side was met by the sort of production we’ve come to expect from the Hornets, despite an underwhelming night for Kon Knueppel. Instead, Brandon Miller led the Bugs with 26 points and 8 rebounds.

Perhaps most important to the Hornets’ success was the pre-match injury report: for the first time in 7 years – the first time since the pandemic – Charlotte had zero players out for injuries.

The Healthy Hornets dominated the 1st quarter, going up by 12 early; they would lead for 96% of the contest.

While the Trail Blazers began to close the gap before halftime, the Hornets always had a response. One for the highlight reel was Miles Bridges’ 360-degree-behind-the-back spinning layup with under five minutes in the quarter to keep the Bugs ahead.

When the Hornets’ lead got down to 7 points with less than four to go, Miller drilled another three at the end of a play that demonstrated both Charlotte’s skill at hitting the boards, and the issues with finishing that need to be resolved before dreams of a deep playoff run become reality.

Every time Portland knocked on the door in the first half, the Hornets answered. A 5 point game became 8 and an 8 point game became 11 due to consecutive threes from Miller.

As North Carolina A&T’s Cold Steel drumline took the court, the Hornets went to the locker room ahead by 8, 43-51.

By the 3rd quarter, the LaMelo Ball and the Hornets really looked like they were having fun. It started to get away from the Blazers with an alley-oop pass from Ball to Miller, who was excellent throughout the game.

It wasn’t a great night for the rookies, however. Ryan Kalkbrenner struggled throughout the game. Though the 7-foot center excelled on the boards, he occasionally looked like a deer in headlights on offense, especially on the Hornets’ last play of the 3rd Quarter. Kalkbrenner held the ball for too long and struggled to find a teammate, causing a turnover and allowing Portland to close to 67-74 going into the final 12 minutes.

In the 4th Quarter the Hornets kept producing. When Portland got Charlotte’s lead under 10 again, Moussa Diabate set a textbook pick for Knueppel, who drained 1 of his 2 three-point shots from the right side of the basket. When the Trailblazers got within 7 again, it was a Diabate rebound - his 10th of the night - and a Bridges trey from the baseline that kept Charlotte ahead..

The nail in the coffin was a dunk from Bridges with less than two minutes to go. White and LaMelo moved the ball back and forth effortlessly in what could have been the best-looking play of the game. Though the shot from three didn’t fall, Bridges was there chasing the shot for the offensive board, and jumped above the rim to finish the play.

The Hive exploded in applause.

Xavier Tillman, Pat Connaughton, and Tre Mann came on for their first minutes of the game shortly after, and the Hornets would close out the win 93-109.

Keys to the Game

Miller shot 50% (6-12) from downtown, elevating his team’s overall three point percentage to 38%, and making up for an uncharacteristic Knueppel performance that saw the rook shoot 2-7 from three — and 0-3 from the stripe — for a total of 10 points.

Coby White, the newest member of the team, had 20 points off the bench, including 8 of 9 from the stripe.

Buzz Bright Spots

Not to be outdone, Diabaté tallied 13 points and 11 rebounds for the only double-double on either side of the court.

The match marked Charlotte’s 4th win in a row.

Buzz-Worthy Facts

Despite leading the team in scoring with 26, Miller’s raw +/- was actually -1, while Knueppel’s was +24 despite only scoring 10 points. Sometimes you have to take the stats with a grain of salt.

Bonus Video: 2nd Quarter Time Lapse

Hornets Dispatch Short-Handed Mavericks

by Adrian Singerman

Charlotte pulls away in second half with dominant third quarter, balanced scoring attack.

The Charlotte Hornets won their fifth straight game Tuesday evening at the Spectrum Center as they defeated the visiting Dallas Mavericks 117-90 in yet another dominant display of long-range shooting. With injured star rookie Cooper Flag watching from the Dallas bench, denying fans the chance to see a matchup of the top two contenders for Rookie of the Year with former Duke teammate Kon Knueppel, the Hornets gave the hometown crowd plenty to cheer about in this one. Despite off shooting nights from Knueppel and Lamelo Ball, the Hornets sank 20 three-pointers, with eight different players making at least one basket from distance. Brandon Miller led eight players in double figures for the Hornets with a team-high 17 points. Ball added 15 points, 9 assists and 5 steals for the Buzz, more than making up for his shooting struggles with a complete all-around performance. Guard Brandon Williams led the way for Dallas with 18 points.

A close start to the game saw the Hornets holding a slim three point advantage at the three and a half minute mark of the first quarter, when two consecutive threes from Brandon Miller and Grant Williams extended the lead to nine at 28-19, prompting Dallas head coach Jason Kidd to call his first timeout of the game. Charlotte led by as many as 11 points in the first quarter as Brandon Miller poured in 13 points, but a 10-0 run by the Mavericks spanning the first and second quarters cut the deficit to one, and Dallas eventually tied the game at 33 on a three-pointer by former Hornet P.J. Washington with just under nine minutes remaining in the first half. The Hornets responded with a 24-10 run over the next seven minutes before Dallas scored the last five points of the half. Charlotte took a 57-48 lead into the locker room on the strength of 10/25 shooting from deep, including three makes from reserve Josh Green, and Miller’s 15 points.

Dallas scored the first four points of the half to get within five at 57-52, and they were still within striking distance at 76-66 with just over four minutes left in the third quarter, but a 16-6 Hornets run put the game out of reach as Charlotte took a 92-72 lead into the final frame. Dallas never managed to get closer than 14 points the rest of the way as the Hornets cruised to victory.

Keys to the Game

No surprise that three-point shooting was once again the key to Charlotte’s offense, as the Hornets made 20 shots from deep, while Dallas went 3/22 (14%). The Mavericks shot just 38% overall.

With Cooper Flagg, Naji Marshall, and Klay Thompson all out due to injury for Dallas, the Maverick simply didn’t have the firepower to stay with the Hornets for the long haul, though they did manage to hang around for the first two and a half quarters.

Buzz Bright Spots

On a night when the Hornets’ starters didn’t bring their usual scoring punch, Charlotte’s bench delivered a stunningly efficient performance as they contributed 54 points on 19/28 shooting (68%), including 12/21 from three-point range. When asked about their performance, head coach Charles Lee put it succinctly: “Those guys were really impactful.”

Sion James nearly notched a double-double with 13 points and 8 rebounds.

Buzz-Worthy Facts

Backup center Ryan Kalkbrenner didn’t miss a single shot in his 18 minutes, making all four of his field goals and sinking both of his free throws. All four of his shots from the field were dunks.

With the win, Charlotte finds themselves at .500 for the first time since they were 2-2 all the way back in October. With a 31-31 record, the Hornets are a mere two and a half games behind the sixth place Philadelphia 76ers with 20 games to play, making the playoffs a very realistic possibility for the Buzz as they enter the stretch run of the regular season. When asked what reaching the .500 mark means, coach Lee wasn’t short on praise for his players: “It’s a testament to the hard work these guys are putting in every day. I think we’re seeing the fruits of our labor, and we’re getting better and better in a lot of different areas. I’m really proud of the growth we’re making. I think we’re getting a lot of contributions from a lot of guys at different moments in the game, and it’s helping us a ton.”

Knueppel was named Eastern Conference rookie of the month for February, a month that saw him set the all-time record for three-pointers made by a rookie in a season. This is the fourth consecutive month he has won the award.

Miami 128, Charlotte 120

Photos by Jorge Torres

The Miami Heat defeated Charlotte 128-120 on Friday night at Spectrum Center, ending a 6-game winning streak for the Hornets.

Brandon Miller led the charge for the Hornets with 11 points in the 1st quarter, but the Heat still led 30-27 after the first 12 minutes. The Hornets bridged the first two quarters with a 17-6 run to take a seven-point lead midway through the 2nd quarter, but Miami’s standout player on the night — Tyler Herro — made back-to-back three-pointers for Miami to tie the score at 41-41 with six minutes remaining.

Herro would lead both rosters with 33 points on the night.

“I think we just have to be better on the defensive side of the ball,” said Miller. “We let [Tyler] Herro get whatever he wanted early, and then it just kind of opened up the rim. I feel like he was seeing a big rim, and it’s easy to score the basketball when you’re already going. So, just tighten up with that and our coverages, and we’ll be fine.”

Charlotte would lead 61-58 at the end of the half.

The score was knotted up on five different occasions during the 3rd quarter, with both teams putting up 40 points.

After tying the score at 108 with 7:54 remaining, the Heat scored seven-straight points to take a 115-108 lead. Grant Williams sank a timely three-pointer to get Charlotte within 4 points with five minutes remaining in regulation, and Kon Knueppel also sunk a pair from downtown near the end, but Miami would prevail in a close game.

What’s Next

The Hornets play the Trail Blazers in Portland tonight at 10 PM EDT, and continue their western swing away against the Sacramento Kings tomorrow and the San Antonio Spurs on Saturday. Their next home game at the Spectrum Center is a rematch against the Miami Heat on Tuesday, March 17 at 7:00 PM.

Today, after six decades, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting officially dissolved.

We’re sharing their official statement, in full, below.

Today, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting formally dissolved as a corporate entity.

For nearly 60 years, CPB stewarded the federal appropriation for public media in ways that enhanced the lives of all Americans, ensuring everyone, regardless of where they live or how much they earn, has access to public media and the essential services it provides, free of charge. As a whole, public media provided such value, at so little cost to the taxpayer, that it received bipartisan support for decades and few thought it would be defunded.

However, throughout 2025, CPB and public media became the target of heightened, relentless partisan attacks with the goal of defunding CPB. Millions of Americans who value their public media station and recognize that public media’s trusted, educational and informational content is vital to our democracy, expressed support for public media and petitioned Congress to preserve federal funding for CPB.

Against the wishes of the majority of Americans, in July 2025, Congress defunded CPB by passing the Rescission Act of 2025 — a maneuver that enabled Congress to “claw back” already appropriated funds by just a single-vote margin.

Since then, CPB has survived mainly on private donations because Congress failed to provide basic closing costs. The CPB team has worked with unwavering professionalism to honor existing commitments and distribute remaining grants to local stations, producers, PBS, and NPR, even when only a handful of us remained. We mark their dedicated service with respect and gratitude.

Some have asked if CPB could survive on private donations alone until a more favorable political climate emerges that would favor restoring funding to CPB. The CPB Board of Directors gave very careful consideration to many options and concluded that dissolution was the only responsible path.

The longer CPB tried to exist without funding, the greater the probability that our remaining funds would never reach the public media system. Moreover, we grew increasingly concerned that funding directed to public media could become subject to new content restrictions, and that compliance would further harm stations and erode the trust we worked decades to build.

These risks were real and dangerous, and we would not allow them to take shape.

We could have survived by complying with demands for political control over news coverage, by rewriting history, by limiting the stories and information shared with the American public, by abandoning diverse talent, or by supporting content that increases divisiveness through disinformation.

But the American people deserve more. So, CPB took its last stand.

We invested in the innovative, sustainable solutions that will empower public media to survive in our absence.

Since October, we have provided over $170 million in funding into organizations, stations, and programs with the power to carry public media forward.

We made strategic investments that preserve public media’s legacy and strengthen its future, safeguarding the American Archive of Public Broadcasting so our shared civic history endures; maintaining national distribution of locally produced programming through American Public Television; supporting trusted, research-backed educational content; commemorating the nation’s 250th anniversary through StoryCorps; and advancing rigorous research that documents public media’s impact and role in supporting our democracy.

All of these measures reflect CPB’s enduring purpose: to strengthen education, preserve democratic memory, amplify local voices, and ensure that public media remains valuable to the public it serves.

The Board took the heart-wrenching but necessary step to dissolve this venerable institution not only for financial reasons but to protect CPB from continued attacks or other interventions that would diminish the institution, as has occurred at other federally funded agencies.

We are grateful for the public’s decades of support for our mission and work, and thankful for your continued support to local stations struggling in the wake of the rescission.

The Public Broadcasting Act, which envisioned a public media system that put the public interest above profit, still exists. Let us look to a future when public media funding is restored in ways that honor that mission.

Thank you.

Often when you think you’re at the end of something, you’re at the beginning of something else. - Mister Rogers

Over the past year many of the important pieces of the cultural fabric in America have been torn and frayed, but not destroyed. It’s a challenging time for public news and local information sources, and often, they’re fighting an asymmetric battle against national narratives delivered by corporate media.

Artists and cultural institutions are not only up against addictive, dopamine-producing content from reels and streaming services, they’re battling against the loneliness epidemic and the decline of civic society and social capital. Ask any party or event planner how hard their job has become when the idea of the couch gets increasingly comfortable with each passing year. Community theatre producers and museum directors would probably agree.

The foundations of civic society — the arts, independent movie theaters, museums, and local information sources — are asking folks to step out of their comfort zone, and en masse, folks are replying, “No.”

Or maybe just, “Huh?”

The old reporter adage - attributed to Finley Peter Dunne - that the job of journalism is to "Comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable" has taken on new meaning as people are steered towards reporting and opinion pieces that reenforce the barriers of their bubble.

To stay true to purpose, art, culture, and journalism not only have to challenge people in power, they have to challenge their audience without losing ears, eyeballs, and fingers to apathy.

Many of the organizations and institutions that are closing their doors weren’t prepared to take on civic entropy, loneliness, and the chaotic disinformation machines of the Internet Age. However, there is hope. As Fred said, “Often when you think you’re at the end of something, you’re at the beginning of something else.”

One of our goals at Y’all Weekly is to be a part of the “something else.” We got started in 2022 with a manifesto of sorts from our co-founder, Jesse Kimmel: our community is full of amazing writing, art, and culture, but too often, “Y’all didn’t know about it.”

Recently, Jesse has joined our local NPR affiliate WFAE for “First Friday Arts” segments to get the word out, but there’s a lot more we can do as well.

Part of that is supporting the other folks who are part of the “something else.” If you live in Charlotte or the Carolinas, and haven’t subscribed to some of the below publications that are doing things differently and adapting to the moment, you’re doing yourself a disservice:

• The Assembly

• The Charlotte Ledger

• The Charlotte Optimist

• The Charlotte Post

• The Food Section - Charlotte

• NC Newsline

• QCity Metro

• Queen City Nerve

• WFAE and/or your local NPR News Source

That’s just a short list that doesn’t even include any of the great Carolina publications that publish in languages other than English - we hope you’ll seek those out too.

At the end of the day everything we do is about community, and even without the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, we hope to be a part of a strong, locally-focused, independent, and collaborative future for journalism and the arts.

Thanks for being a Y’all Weekly subscriber.

Two future NBA Hall of Famers - Kevin Durant and James Harden - came to the Hive with their post-trade deadline teams this past weekend, and while Durant had the better performance, both stars helped propel their teams past the Hornets. Durant scored 35 points for the Houston Rockets in their 105-101 victory over Charlotte, while Donovan Mitchell and his 32 points led Cleveland in their 118-113 victory at the Spectrum Center.

The losses - to teams that are both 4th in their Conference - come after both the All-Star Break, and an incredible run of form for the Bugs. [Editor’s Note: You can read more about the streak and the turnaround in Adrian Singerman’s mid-season review for Y’all Weekly.]

While it’s disappointing for Charlotte to drop two in a row at home, they remain above the play-in line at 10th place in the Eastern Conference. Plus, neither the Rockets nor the Cavs were ever going to be a walk in the park, though the Hornets may want to watch some tape after losing the season series to Cleveland 3-1 as the team is a possible playoff opponent — if Charlotte can stay in form and survive the play-in tournament.

“Honestly, I feel like we’re playing pretty decently,” the Hornets’ Kon Knueppel told reporters after the loss to Cleveland. “[Friday] I didn’t think we played our best game just in regard to taking care of the ball and just offensively, it was a little sticky, like how I mentioned this first quarter was. In all honesty, I think the way we’re competing on the defensive end and on the glass is really keeping us in these games. So, from a competitive standpoint, I think we’re really bringing it. Just two tough, close losses to two really good teams coming out of the All-Star break.”

The Hornets didn’t have to wait long to return to form as they soundly defeated the 13th-place Wizards 129-112 yesterday in Washington, D.C. LaMelo Ball took the attention off of his driving and put it back on his game as he made 10 shots from downtown — a personal career high — tying the Hornets' single-game three-pointer record.

With 37 points, 8 rebounds, and 7 assists — all before the 4th Quarter — Ball demonstrated why he can’t be left out of the superstar conversation.

Sharp Shooting Durant Propels Rockets to Win

To borrow a turn of phrase from The Athletic’s Tom Bogert, “He’s Kevin Durant, dude.”

Now playing in the sixth different market of his career, the 37-year-old Durant doesn’t seem to have lost a step. In addition to 8 rebounds and 35 total points on the night, Durant shot 4 for 4 in the 4th quarter to fend off a Hornets squad that would not go quietly.

On the Hornets’ side, starters Moussa Diabate and Miles Bridges continued their suspensions after the “Havoc at the Hive” fight during the Hornets’ streak-ending loss to Detroit. However, all of the Hornets starters contributed 10 or more points, and Grant Williams (20 points, 9 rebounds), Brandon Miller (17 points, 7 assists), and LaMelo Ball (7 rebounds, 7 assists) made significant contributions in multiple metrics.

The Bugs got off to a good start early on, with a solid 9 point lead after the 1st quarter. However, rookie sensation Kon Knueppel had what — for him, at least — constitutes a slow night, with 15 points overall, shooting 5 of 8 in the first three quarters. Some of that was made up for by strong performances off the bench from Tidjane Salaün (9 points, 4 rebounds) and Sion James (8 points, 4 rebounds).

The game was the kind of exciting matchup fans hope for, and it was a good showcase as former Hornets — from Jeremy Lamb to Kemba Waker — were in attendance to celebrate 20 years of the Spectrum Center.

After the Rockets caught up to make it 53-52 at the half, the game remained tight through the closing seconds, including a phrenetic 4th quarter that saw the Hornets keep hope alive despite shooting only 2 of 13 from behind the arc.

Durant’s lights-out shooting — and the Hornets’ cold hands — prevented a Charlotte comeback. While the Buzz pushed all the way down to the wire, it was Houston on top 105-101.

Keys to the Game

The game was close into the 4th quarter, but Charlotte couldn’t get the threes to fall, while Houston made the shots they needed to make. Kon and others were cold from beyond the arc in the final 12 minutes, and that, as they say, was the ballgame.

Buzz Bright Spots

Brandon Miller (left) and Grant Williams combined for 37 points, 13 boards, and 8 assists against Houston, making up for an off-night from Ball (11 points) and Knueppel (15 points). Strong performances off the bench from Tidjane Salaün (9 points, 4 rebounds) and Sion James (8 points, 4 rebounds) also demonstrated the depth of the squad while two starters remained suspended.

Buzzworthy Facts

Brandon Miller continued his made free throw streak, beating the franchise record set by Kemba Walker (53) by one basket before ending his run at 54 during the same pair of of shots from the line. Miller wasn’t discouraged by the miss, and went on to make the rest of his shots from the charity stripe for a total of 6-7 on the night.

Consistent Cavs Hold off Hornets

The Cleveland Cavaliers won their seventh straight game Friday night as they defeated the hometown Hornets 118-113 at Spectrum Arena. Winners of nine out of their last ten games, the Cavs achieved the famed 50-40-90 shooting line as a whole team, including a sizzling 48% from three-point territory and 93% from the free throw line, making 26 out of their 28 attempts. Donovon Mitchell scored a team-high 32 points, and Jarrett Allen dominated the paint with 26 points and 14 rebounds, 7 of which came on the offensive end.

Newly acquired James Harden, in just his fourth appearance with the Cavs, also turned in a solid performance with 18 points and 8 assists. Kon Knueppel led the way for the Hornets with a game-high 33 points, including seven three-pointers.

Both teams started out hot, trading baskets for the first several minutes, with Allen putting in eight points in the first three minutes of the game for Cleveland. The Hornets held a slim lead at 17-14 midway through the opening frame, but the Cavs pulled ahead when Knueppel exited the game after picking up his second foul with 5:13 seconds left, going on a 16-3 run to close out the quarter and take a 30-20 lead into the second on the strength of Allen’s 11 points and the team’s eleven made free throws out of twelve attempts.

Charlotte closed the gap to start the 2nd quarter, as a close-range basket in the paint from Ryan Kalkbrenner got the Hornets within six at 39-33 with just over eight minutes left, but Cleveland quickly opened up a fourteen point lead with an 8-0 run over the next minute and a half. The Hornets responded with three quick three-point baskets to get back within seven at 51-44, and the half ended with Cleveland maintaining a six-point edge, 59-53, a margin that would have been considerably wider had it not been for Knueppel’s 18 first-half points.

Charlotte was on fire to start the 3rd quarter, hitting three quick three-pointers and scoring thirteen points in the first two and a half minutes to take their first lead since the 1st quarter at 64-62. From there, it was nip and tuck for the rest of the quarter, which ended with Cleveland holding a slim 90-89 edge.

Neither team was able to create any separation for the first half of the final frame, as the Hornets were still within a point down 102-101 at the 5:48 mark, but the Cavs scored seven consecutive points over the next two minutes to take a 109-101 lead with just over three and a half minutes remaining as the Hornets missed several open looks from deep. A couple of late threes by Charlotte made the score look more respectable, but the Hornets never truly threatened to get back in the game after Cleveland’s decisive run.

Keys to the Game

The combination of Cleveland’s outside shooting, interior scoring, and near perfect accuracy from the free throw line was simply too much to overcome for the Hornets. Charlotte showed some serious fight to keep the game as close as they did.

Although they only shot 39% overall for the game, Charlotte made a whopping twenty baskets from deep and went 21/22 on free throws, hanging tough in a game that easily could have gotten away from them when they were down by fourteen midway through the 2nd quarter.

Buzz Bright Spots

It bears repeating that it was a valiant effort on the part of the Hornets to make this game as competitive as it was. Playing for the third straight game without suspended starters Moussa Diabate and Miles Bridges, and facing a team with considerably more star-power, things could easily have gotten away from Charlotte. While moral victories won’t cut it for a team with postseason aspirations, the Hornets’ performance bodes well for their playoff chances as they enter the final third of the regular season.

Buzzworthy Facts

Kon Knueppel moved into second place all time on the list of three-pointers made by an NBA rookie, passing Donovan Mitchell (187 threes in 2017-18) in the process. At 193 made threes for the season, Knueppel has nine more than Brandon Miller’s 184 in his rookie season two years ago. With 25 games remaining in the regular season, Knueppel is on pace to obliterate the current record of 203 made threes by Keegan Murray, who achieved the feat during the 2022-23 season with Sacramento.

Ball Ties Franchise Record in Triumphant Victory over Washington

LaMelo did the best thing he possibly could after another embarrassing motor vehicle accident last week: he balled.

While his 11 points against the Rockets were underwhelming, he improved to 18 points against Cleveland (including going 8-8 from the stripe) before lighting up Chinatown with 37 points.

Charlotte was electric in the 3rd quarter, making all but one three-pointer while outpacing the Wizards by 16 points, 44-28. In terms of percentage, Brandon Miller had another strong game during the suspension of Bridges and Diabate, making 71% of his shots from beyond the arc.

With Ball’s exceptional performance and the Hornets’ sharp shooting, Charlotte easily won 129-112, continuing their strong performance on the road. With the win, the Hornets improved to a seven-game winning streak on the road, currently the longest active away win streak in the NBA. With a win against Chicago tomorrow, the Bugs have the opportunity to secure the longest road winning streak in the franchise’s history.

Keys to the Game

LaMelo Ball’s shot chart:

That’s over three quarters. ‘Nuff said.

Buzz Bright Spots

Not to be outdone, Knueppel had 28 points, and guard Josh Green had 12 points off the bench. Charlotte was 11 of 12 from downtown in the third quarter — that’s 33 points from beyond the arc in just 12 minutes.

Buzzworthy Facts

Ball’s new three-pointer record — 10 in one game — is also held at the franchise level by Devonte’ Graham, Kelly Oubre Jr., Terry Rozier, and Kemba Walker. Their away win streak (7) ties the previous franchise record.

What’s Next

Charlotte will stay on the road for their next two games. They will finish their short road trip with a quick midwestern jaunt, playing against Chicago tomorrow, and Indiana on Thursday. Their next home game will be Saturday, February 28th against the Portland Trailblazers.

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Despite tonight’s loss to Kevin Durant and the Houston Rockets, the Hornets’ performance is still giving Charlotte a reason to Bee-lieve again. Adrian Singerman has the story on the Return of the Buzz.

The Brutal Beginning

Despite winning two of their first three games this season, the Hornets’ early games gave the impression fans were in for another rough season.

On Thanksgiving eve, the Hornets were blown out by the New York Knicks on their own home court in Spectrum Arena. The 129-101 setback was their seventh straight loss, and their tenth straight defeat in the NBA Cup over the last three campaigns. Having once again been eliminated in the group stage of the Cup, and sitting in 12th place in the conference with a 4-14 record, Charlotte appeared to be headed for a third straight finish in the basement of the East after two consecutive bottom-three finishes from 2023 to 2025.

Struggling in large part due to early-season injuries to stars Brandon Miller and LaMelo Ball, it should have been hard to imagine the Hornets could turn things around so dramatically; but a return to health, the emergence of a lethal offense, an almost franchise record-tying nine game win streak, and the assembly of the best starting unit in pro basketball have made the fourth youngest team in the NBA the talk of the league the last several weeks and a legitimate contender for the postseason.

The Turnaround

Even before the Buzz’s recent win streak, their longest in over 25 years, there were signs that Charlotte was on to something special.

Following a one-point loss to the Bucks to start the 2026 calendar year, the Hornets bounced back with two consecutive road wins over the Bulls and the Oklahoma City Thunder. Their 124-97 domination of OKC was only the seventh time all season the defending champs had lost up to that point. Five days later, Charlotte blitzed the Utah Jazz in Salt Lake City 150-95. The 55-point win represented the second largest margin of victory in franchise history, second only to their 61-point drubbing of the Memphis Grizzlies in 2018. Convincing road wins over the Lakers (by 18 points) and the Nuggets (by 23) followed, making the subsequent win streak less surprising than satisfying for Hornets players and fans alike.

The Streak and the Starters

Impressive wins over quality opponents kept coming during the Hornets’ string of nine straight wins. Charlotte notched wins over playoff hopefuls Orlando, Philadelphia (by 37 points!) and Atlanta (twice), and knocked off surefire postseason participants San Antonio and Houston. On the outside of the playoff race looking in prior to the streak, Charlotte’s hot run of form has propelled them into the thick of the postseason conversation in 9th place in the Eastern Conference.

With 27 games left to be played in the regular season, only two and half games separate the Hornets from division rival Miami, and they find themselves a mere three games behind the division-leading Orlando Magic. As the only active NBA team never to have won a division title, finishing first in the Southeast division would be extra sweet for Charlotte and legitimate validation that they are a force to be reckoned with.

It’s impossible to overstate the impact of the most recent iteration of the Hornets’ starting lineup. The starting five of LaMelo Ball, Kon Knueppel, Brandon Miller, Miles Bridges, and Moussa Diabate has gone a league-best 16-2, with the best offensive rating of any starting lineup in the league to go along with a top five defensive rating.

Hornets’ head coach Charles Lee has fully embraced the three-point shot as the motor of Charlotte’s engine, and the results have been undeniable. The Hornets have made over 15 threes per game on 41.4 attempts, a 37.3% clip.

Ball, Knueppel, Miller, and Bridges have all provided serious scoring punch, with each member of the quartet averaging at least 18 points per game, led by Miller’s 20.6 points. Ball’s decision-making and triple-threat ability to shoot, drive, and distribute have taken a big step forward this season, and Knueppel’s emergence as a knock-down three-point shooter (43%) has provided crucial spacing in the Hornets’ offense, creating open shots for his teammates when he isn’t knocking down long-range bombs himself. On the interior, Diabate has come into his own as a rebounder and defender, creating extra possessions for the Buzz on offense and disrupting opponents’ possessions with his relentless activity on defense. Rookies Ryan Kalkbrenner and Sion James, along with P.J. Hall, Tre Mann, and Grant Williams, have all been reliable contributors and provided valuable minutes off the bench.

The Outlook

After serving another game of their pre-All Star suspensions tonight, Charlotte will play their next two games without starters Diabate and Bridges.

After losing to Houston tonight, and matchups against Cleveland and Washington on the way, winning two of the three games would be a great result. Regardless, the Hornets will soon have their full complement of players back and ready for action.

That includes the recently-acquired Coby White, a talented scorer who gives Charlotte another serious weapon for their high-octane offense to wield. Assuming everyone can stay healthy, that will leave the Hornets with 24 games to make a push towards the playoffs. If they can continue their current run of form into the latter stages of the season, there’s no reason to think they won’t be competing this postseason.

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Y’all Weekly members and subscribers (that’s you) are invited to join Carolina Forward and panelists Herb White (Charlotte Post), Sucharita Kodali (The Election Hub), Daniel Ayers (Hometown Holler), and Briana Brough (Beacon Media) for a “Media in the 21st Century” panel tomorrow night, Wednesday, February 18 at 6:00 PM at the Mint Museum on Randolph Road.

Click here to RSVP - the event is free, but RSVP is required.

This panel will bring media professionals and the community together to discuss how technological change, audience shifts, and the political environment are shaping the future of trustworthy local reporting. Light bites will be provided!

RSVP Here

RSVP Here

The Charlotte Hornets bounced back from Monday’s streak-ending loss against the Detroit Pistons with their second win over Atlanta in less than a week. The 110-107 win put the Hornets solidly in 9th place in the conference, a half game ahead of the Hawks.

After learning earlier in the day that they would be without suspended starters Moussa Diabate and Miles Bridges, the Hornets were all business at the Spectrum in an impressive display of long-distance shooting and tenacious team defense. Brandon Miller scored a game-high 31 points for Charlotte, earning Eastern Conference Player of the Week honors, and LaMelo Ball added 24 points and 6 assists.

Hawks star Jalen Johnson, who was recently named to his first All-Star game, posted a strong all-around performance with 17 points, 13 rebounds, 7 assists and 4 steals. Dyson Daniels led Atlanta in scoring with 21 points.

In the fourth and final game of the season series between the two squads, the Hornets’ hot three point shooting carried over from Monday’s matchup against the Pistons into the first quarter, as they made nine threes on fifteen attempts, including four from rookie sensation Kon Knueppel. However, the turnover issues that plagued them against Detroit also continued as Charlotte’s five early turnovers allowed the Hawks to stay close.

The quarter ended with Charlotte holding a 35-27 advantage.

Charlotte appeared to be on track for another hot-shooting quarter after making three more quick threes and extending their lead to 51-35 with five minutes remaining in the second frame, but Atlanta responded with a 12-0 run, and the Hornets managed only seven more points before halftime, including a buzzer-beating three-pointer from rookie Sion James, their thirteenth long-distance basket of the half. James’ shot gave the Hornets a little breathing room as they took a nine-point lead into the locker room, 58-49.

The Hornets came quickly out of the blocks to start the second half, as two threes from Ball in the first minute pushed the lead back to fifteen. Charlotte scored the first ten points of the half to push their lead to nineteen at 68-49, their largest lead of the game, and they maintained a comfortable advantage through the rest of the third quarter, taking an 89-75 lead into the fourth.

Charlotte appeared to be cruising in the fourth quarter, as they led by double figures for most of the period and maintained an eleven–point cushion with under three minutes to play. That’s when Atlanta made one last move. A 10-0 run by the Hawks over the next two minutes brought them within one at 108-107, but they were unable to get over the hump, as Knueppel’s two free throws with 19.4 seconds left accounted for the final margin.

“We come into every game as the hunters, and I think that’s kind of flipped from the beginning of the season,” Knueppel told reporters after the game. “We were building good habits, but now we come in expecting to win games.

The Brandon Miller Dunk

Keys to the Game

The Hornets continued their impressive production from long distance and from the charity stripe. Charlotte finished the game 19/51 from three, and 25 out of 29 from the free throw line.

Charlotte racked up fifteen offensive boards on their way to winning the rebounding battle 50-41.

Buzz Bright Spots

Grant Williams and Ryan Kalkbrenner contributed valuable minutes starting in place of Diabate and Bridges. Despite shooting 1/9 from the field, Williams chipped in 7 points with 8 rebounds and 5 assists in 32 minutes of action. Kalkbrenner finished with 5 points, 6 rebounds, 2 steals, and 2 blocks in 24 minutes.

Buzzworthy Facts

With the victory, Charlotte takes the season series against the Hawks three games to one, clinching the tie breaker with Atlanta should the teams end the regular season in playoff contention with identical records. The win also brought the pig-shaped “BBQ Series” rivalry trophy home to Charlotte.

In addition to taking over ninth place in the East from Atlanta, the Hornets are now only two games behind the eighth place Miami Heat. They trail the Southeast Division-leading Orlando Magic by only three games.

What’s Next

Prior to the game, the NBA announced four-game suspensions each for Diabate and Bridges for their role in the prolonged altercation with the Pistons during Monday night’s game. The Hornets will be without the pair for another three games following tonight’s win.

Charlotte heads into the All-Star break for some well-deserved rest after their best stretch of play in over a quarter of a century. They’ll return to action at the end of next week with a tough back-to-back at Spectrum Arena against Houston on Thursday and Cleveland on Friday.

Knueppel has a busy weekend ahead. He heads to Los Angeles to participate in the Rising Stars Game, the 3-point contest, and the Shooting Stars Contest, which has been brought back into the mix after an eleven-year hiatus.

Pistons Snap Hornets’ Winning Streak

The Detroit Pistons’ suffocating defense and dominance in the paint put an end to Charlotte Hornets’ longest winning streak in over 25 years.

The Pistons defeated the Hornets 110-104 Monday evening at Spectrum Arena, further cementing their standing as the class of the Eastern Conference and putting an end to Charlotte’s nine-game winning streak. Cade Cunningham nearly notched a triple double, finishing with a game-high 33 points to go along with nine rebounds and seven assists. Brandon Miller paced the Hornets with 24 points, with LaMelo Ball and Kon Knueppel each adding 20 points.

After starting the game 2 of 8 from the field with a handful of sloppy turnovers and finding themselves in an early 18-11 hole, the Hornets caught fire and could hardly miss the rest of the opening period, going 7 of 8 with six three point baskets to offset Detroit’s dominance in the paint and take a four-point lead into the second frame.

Charlotte’s red-hot outside shooting carried into the first few minutes of the second quarter, as they sank another six three-pointers on their way to a 55-47 lead. The Pistons, however, dominated the rest of the half as they continued to control the paint, finishing on a 14-2 run to head to the locker room with a four-point edge, 61-57, despite only shooting 2 of 13 from three.

The Hornets scored a quick five points to start the second half, taking a slim 62-61 lead before the Pistons responded with a 9-0 run to take an 8-point lead and prompt an early timeout by Hornets’ head coach Charles Lee. That’s where things got interesting.

Possible Suspensions Loom after Third Quarter Quarrel

With a little over seven minutes left in the third quarter, Moussa Diabate fouled Pistons’ starting center Jalen Duren as he drove towards the basket. Duren took exception and exchanged words with Diabate, sparking a melee that resulted in both players taking swings before being separated by teammates and coaches. Miles Bridges and Pistons sub Isaiah Stewart then got into a scuffle of their own, further extending the break in play. The melee resulted in all four players being ejected from the game.

When a player leaves the bench to fight when they’re not in the game, as Stewart did, NBA rules recommend an automatic one game suspension. Due to the severity of the fight, Duren, Bridges, and Diabate could also face suspensions.

Pistons Sneak By to Snap the Hornets’ Streak

Once things settled down, Detroit calmly asserted themselves and took an 88-78 lead into the final quarter.

Charlotte managed to keep the game close in the fourth. After Brandon Miller made a three-pointer, the Hornets’ sixteenth of the game, to pull the Hornets within six with just over eight minutes left, the Pistons responded with an immediate 6-0 run in the ensuing minute and a half, restoring their double-digit lead. Shortly thereafter, an offensive foul call on Grant Williams midway through the period triggered a furious reaction from Coach Lee, as he screamed his displeasure at the referees before promptly being ejected from the game.

Despite losing their head coach, the Hornets hung tough. Down 104-100 in the last minute, the Hornets had two wide open looks from three, but Miller and Knueppel both missed, effectively ending the Hornets bid to pull off the comeback win and extend their winning streak to what would have been a Hornets’ all time record-tying ten games.

Keys to the Game

Detroit’s defense hounded the Hornets into 18 turnovers, 12 off of steals, leading to a bevy of fast break opportunities for the Pistons.

The Pistons’ aggression in taking the ball to the basket paid off, as they scored seemingly at will in the paint and earned 28 free throw attempts, making 23.

Buzz Bright Spots

Charlotte’s three point shooting kept them in the game throughout. They finished with 19 made threes out of 47 attempts, good for 40%. Miller, Knueppel, and Ball accounted for 13 of those makes.

Buzzworthy Facts

For the second straight game the Hornets were perfect from the charity stripe. After going 16/16 Saturday night in their win over the Atlanta Hawks, the Hornets went 17/17 against the Pistons. Taking into consideration their 20/22 performance against Houston, the Hornets have shot 53/55 over the last three games, an astounding 96%.

Kon Knueppel extended the record he recently set for most games by a rookie with five or more made three point baskets. His tally is now up to fifteen games.

This was only the second loss all season for the starting lineup of Ball, Bridges, Miller, Knueppel, and Diabate. Charlotte has gone 15-2 in such games.

What’s Next

The Buzz will be back in action at Spectrum Arena Wednesday for their last game before the All-Star break. They’ll be taking on the Hawks for the second time in less than a week after Charlotte’s hard-earned victory in Atlanta over the weekend.

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The Cleveland Cavaliers used a dominant first-half performance to defeat the Charlotte Hornets Wednesday evening at Spectrum Arena, earning a 94-87 victory to bounce back from a 32-point drubbing at the hands of the NBA Champion OKC Thunder two nights earlier. Star guard Donovan Mitchell led the way with 24 points for Cleveland. The Cavs also got a double double from Evan Mobley, who tallied 14 points, 14 rebounds and 3 blocks. With Charlotte coming off their longest road trip of the 2025-26 season, a successful five-game stretch that saw them go 3-2 with lopsided wins over the Nuggets and Lakers as well as a 55-point demolition of the Utah Jazz, the Hornets were aiming to carry their momentum into this Eastern Conference matchup against a Cleveland squad with legitimate postseason aspirations, but the Cavs had other ideas.

Charlotte started the game ice cold from the field, going one for their first nine attempts and three out of their first fifteen. Meanwhile, Cleveland barely set a foot wrong as they raced off to an 8-0 lead with four baskets in the paint, forcing a Hornets timeout barely two minutes into the game. Things went from bad to worse for Charlotte, as the Cavaliers extended their lead to 19-4 less than halfway through the quarter, leading to yet another Charlotte timeout. Cleveland led by as much as 29-8 before Charlotte went on a quick 12-2 run to get back within eleven before ending the quarter down by a manageable thirteen points, 33-20.

The Cavs pushed their lead back to 26 points midway through the second quarter as Donovan Mitchell found his stroke from deep, and the Cavs’ bigs took advantage of several easy looks from close-range. With Charlotte’s perimeter players unable to find their shooting stroke and Cleveland continuing to flow offensively, the Cavaliers ended the first half with a commanding 56-32 advantage as Mitchell and Mobley led the way with 14 and 13 points respectively.

Brandon Miller caught fire in the third quarter, scoring seventeen points as Charlotte took advantage of several Cleveland turnovers to cut its deficit in half and double its point total to head to the final period down by a dozen, 76-64.

Cleveland looked all out of sorts to start the final frame, as a couple of sloppy turnovers allowed Charlotte to cut their lead down to seven with eight minutes left, but the Cavaliers quickly regained their composure, bumping their advantage back up to fifteen three minutes later. The Hornets managed to trim the deficit down to four with 12.8 seconds left on a driving layup by Knueppel, but this was a classic case of too little, too late.

Keys to the Game

Charlotte shot 13/50 (26%) from the field in the first half, including 3/24 (13%) from three-point territory, totaling 32 points, easily their season-low for a half. The Hornets high-scoring trio of Ball, Miller, and Bridges shot a combined 3/23 before the break. The Hornets’ poor shooting continued into the second half, as they finished the game shooting 34% from the field overall and 17% from deep.

Cleveland dominated the glass all evening, finishing the contest with a 60-47 rebounding advantage. Starting forward Evan Mobley, who had a double-double by halftime, had eleven first-half rebounds and finished with a game-high fourteen rebounds to go along with his fourteen points. Cleveland’s 25 year-old rookie forward Nae’Qwan Tomlin provided a spark off the bench with seven offensive rebounds in only 21 minutes.

Cleveland’s 20 turnovers (eight by Mitchell alone) allowed the Hornets to hang around, but Charlotte never really threatened to take the lead, as their brutal first-half shooting performance proved to be too much to overcome.

Buzz Bright Spots

Grant Williams made his first appearance at home for the Hornets since returning from a torn ACL and torn meniscus that sidelined him for over a year. Although he finished the game scoreless, he showed some good defensive activity with three steals to go along with five rebounds and four assists in 25 minutes of action.

Buzz-worthy Facts

While the loss drops the Hornets to 16-28 on the season, they are only four games out of contention for the postseason play-in with 38 games left in the regular season.

Yes We Kon

Kon Knueppel has edged out the Dallas Mavericks’ Cooper Flagg to take the #1 spot in the NBA’s rookie rankings. Knueppel and Flagg have traded places all year in the rankings, which are also known as the Kia Rookie Ladder for sponsorship purposes. Knueppel is the quickest player in NBA history to hit 100 career three-pointers, and is averaging slightly more points per game, while Flagg has managed more rebounds, steals, and assists in his rookie season.

Charlotte’s last Rookie of the Year, of course, was LaMelo Ball.

What’s Next

The Hornets will be back in action tonight, Thursday evening for a divisional matchup at Orlando before coming back to Spectrum Arena for two consecutive home games against the Wizards on Saturday and the Sixers on Monday - assuming a potential winter storm doesn’t shut down the Hive.

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Buzzer Beater Breaks Hearts

The Toronto Raptors (23-15, 4th Place in the Eastern Conference) stunned the Charlotte Hornets (13-24, 12th Place in the East) at the buzzer Wednesday evening at the Spectrum Center, as guard Immanuel Quickley drained a three pointer moments after LaMelo Ball’s driving layup had given Charlotte a 96-94 lead with 1.6 seconds left.

Quickley’s game-winner capped a 21-point outing and silenced the home crowd that had been buzzing after Ball’s go-ahead basket. With the 97-96 victory, the Raptors denied the Hornets their first three-game win streak of the season. Charlotte was also going for their second straight victory against a quality opponent following their 124-97 demolition of the defending NBA champion Oklahoma City Thunder on Monday. R.J. Barrett scored 16 points in the 4th quarter on his way to team-leading 28 points for Toronto. Backup guard Colin Sexton led the way for Charlotte with 22 points as stars LaMelo Ball and Kon Knueppel struggled mightily shooting the ball.

The Hornets started the game off hot, hitting three quick three-pointers to take an 11-2 advantage and forcing an early timeout by Toronto coach Darko Rajakovic barely two minutes into the game. The hot-shooting start was short-lived; Charlotte went ice cold over the next seven minutes and scored only five points in that span, staying in the game thanks to some spotty long-range shooting from the Raptors. With both teams missing the mark on offense, the low-scoring quarter ended with the Raptors holding a slim three-point edge, 25-22.

Charlotte rediscovered their shooting touch in the second quarter, asserting control to take a 41-30 lead midway through the period as the Raptors continued to sputter offensively. Some sloppy play by the Hornets and a quick 5-point scoring spurt from Quickley to finish the half allowed the Raptors to close the gap, as the teams headed to the locker room with the hometown Hornets maintaining a 50-45 edge.

After seven quick points from Ball to start the third quarter, and with Toronto still unable to find their rhythm on offense, the Raptors found themselves down 64-51 before they managed to right the ship, taking advantage of several Charlotte miscues on the offensive end to cut the deficit to one with 1:49 left in the quarter, prompting a Hornets timeout. Charlotte managed to push their lead back to six points by the end of the quarter, taking a 72-66 advantage into the final frame.

After the Hornets quickly extended their lead to 78-68 to start the fourth quarter, the Raptors responded with a 14-3 run to take a one-point lead. The teams then traded baskets over the next few minutes, setting up the dramatic finish.

Keys to the Game

Toronto’s duo of Barrett and Quickly provided the scoring punch the Raptors sorely needed to hang in the game and eventually get the win. Barrett’s 16 fourth-quarter points proved to be pivotal to the outcome.

Scottie Barnes carried the scoring load for the Raptors in the first half, scoring 15 of his 17 points.

Rookie Collin Murray-Bowles, a lottery pick out of the University of South Carolina, controlled the glass for Toronto as he racked up fifteen rebounds, including six on the offensive end.

The absence of Brandon Miller clearly hurt the Hornets’ offense. Aside from their hot start and a couple other brief scoring spurts, the Hornets shot the ball poorly all evening, finishing 39% from the field. Turnovers were also a big problem for Charlotte, as they finished with 18 turnovers to Toronto’s five.

Buzz Bright Spots

Sexton matched his season high with 22 points, scoring on an impressive array of drives and long-range shots.

Moussa Diabate continued his solid play at center, starting in place of the injured Ryan Kalkbrenner for the seventh time in the last eight games. He tallied 11 rebounds, two steals, and two blocks to go along with six points and his customary active defense.

Buzz-Worthy Facts

Coming out of a timeout with four and a half minutes left in the third quarter and Toronto down by nine points, the Raptors put out a lineup composed entirely of players who had gone scoreless up to that point. The lineup proved to be effective, as Toronto proceeded to go on an 11-3 run, resulting in a Hornets timeout.

What’s Next

Charlotte is back in action as we speak against the last-place Indiana Pacers, their last home game before the longest road trip of the season, a five-game stretch that kicks off with a Saturday evening matchup against the Utah Jazz.

Golden State outlasts Charlotte in high-scoring affair on New Year’s Eve

The Golden State Warriors continued their recent run of form Wednesday afternoon, getting by the hometown Hornets 132-125 to finish the 2025 calendar year with a victory, their fifth in the last six games. With a Spectrum Arena record 19,685 fans in attendance, Charlotte native Stephen Curry led the way with 26 points for the Warriors. Despite a valiant effort and 33 points from Brandon Miller, Charlotte were unable to avoid a second consecutive defeat after two straight wins last week.

With the loss, the Hornets fell to 11-22 on the season, ending 2025 in 12th place in the Eastern Conference. The Warriors improved to 18-16, staying above .500 and ending their calendar year in 8th place in the West.

After the Hornets raced to a 10-3 lead in the first quarter, Golden State was able to find their rhythm to quickly get back on even footing. With both teams moving the ball up the court quickly and getting up quick shots, the high-scoring quarter ended with Golden State and Charlotte knotted up at 30.

The second quarter featured some lights-out shooting by both squads. Golden State shot 14/20 (70%) from the field in the quarter, including 8/12 from long-distance and a four-point play from Curry. Charlotte nearly kept pace with 34 points of their own, including 11 of Brandon Miller’s 19 first-half points, but the Warriors went into the locker room with a 69-64 halftime lead on the back of 60% shooting and 13 made three-pointers.

Golden State flew out of the gates to start the second half, going on a 10-0 run to take a 79-64 advantage and force Hornets head coach Charles Lee to call a timeout. Charlotte responded with a 25-9 run over the next four and a half minutes to take an 89-88 lead after two consecutive Lamelo Ball three-pointers, and the third frame eventually finished with the Hornets hanging on to a slim 100-98 lead.

The Warriors once again found the hot hand to start the fourth, as they went on a 13-4 run fueled by three three point baskets from guard Brandon Podziemski, forcing another Hornets’ timeout. Although Charlotte competed well, they were never able to get closer than 4 points the rest of the way.

Keys to the Game

The Hornets and Warriors provided fireworks throughout, with both teams shooting over 50% overall from the field and 40% or better from long distance. Three-point shooting proved to be the difference, with Golden State making 24 three-pointers to the Hornets’ 16.

The Warriors balanced scoring was too much to overcome for Charlotte. They had five players score in double figures, led by Curry’s 26 points on 9/16 shooting and 5/10 from three. They also had five other players who chipped in at least 7 points.

Draymond Green delivered a masterful performance for the Warriors, nearly notching a triple double with 10 points, 12 assists and 8 rebounds to go along with his usual relentless defense.

Jimmy Butler and Brandon Podziemski each scored 19 points, combining to go 10-17 from the field. Butler also finished 11/12 from the free throw line.

Buzz Bright Spots

Brandon Miller’s 33-point performance included three spectacular, rim-rattling dunks off the fast-break that brought the crowd to its feet.

Kon Knueppel put up his usual impressive stat line, finishing with 20 points, 8 assists and 5 rebounds.

Before the game, Golden State head coach Steve Kerr was full of praise for the first-year player. “I mean, it’s crazy to watch him play and think, is he 19? I don’t know, 20? But one year of college, and he looks like a ten-year vet out there.”

The NBA announced today that Knueppel earned his second-consecutive Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month award for December. Knueppel leads all rookies in 3-pointers made (117) and 3-point percentage (.432 3P%), and ranks in the top three in total points (617), field goals made (214), assists (115) and minutes played (1,059) while ranking 5^th in rebounds (164). He led all rookies in points per game in December (19.3) and is one of two rookies (Cooper Flagg) with three 30-point performances this season. Knueppel recorded a career-high 33 points and a career-high-tying nine assists against Chicago on Dec. 12.

LaMelo Ball also had an impressive overall floor game, tallying 27 points on an efficient 9/13 from the field to go along with 5 rebounds, 5 assists, and 4 steals.

PJ Hall produced his best performance yet as a member of the Hornets in his third game with the team since being acquired from the Memphis Grizzlies on Christmas Eve. He finished with 9 points, 7 rebounds, and 2 assists in 16 minutes off the bench.

Buzz-Worthy Facts

Miller posted his second consecutive 30-point outing after producing none in his previous 14 games this season.

Curry came into the game averaging 25.3 points in 24 previous matchups against the Hornets. He barely eclipsed that mark with two free throws near the end of the 4th quarter.

The Warriors’ 24 three-pointers matched a season high.

Moussa Diabate got his sixth start of the season as he replaced the injured Ryan Kalkbrenner for the Buzz, finishing the game scoreless but with 8 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal and a block in 28 minutes. The Hornets took the court with only 10 players in the lineup.

Davidson College Honors Curry

During Davidson College’s December 30th home game against Duquesne, Curry’s alma mater honored their most famous alum.

Curry was joined by teammates Draymond Green and Jimmy Butler, as the Wildcats honored the naming of Interstate 77's Exit 30 as the Stephen Curry Interchange.

What’s Next

The Hornets will hit the road for their next three games, starting with a back-to-back this Friday and Saturday against Milwaukee and Chicago, followed by a Monday night matchup against the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder. Their next home game is Wednesday January 7 against Toronto.

Despite recent movement to end the government shutdown, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program recipients are still going without benefits, with the responsibility for serving our neighbors and families falling increasingly on local government and the non-profit sector.

If you don’t know about the Y-Dub’s work in Charlotte, YWCA Central Carolinas serves many local families in need, especially those in transition, by providing safe, affordable housing for single women and families with minor children while they participate in an intensive support case management program.

Unfortunately, many children, women, and families across Charlotte — including those in the YWCA’s transformative programs — will continue to suffer for weeks due to the suspension of SNAP benefits.

At this publication, our values lead us to believe that no one, anywhere, for any reason deserves to experience hunger, including children and families.

So on behalf of the Y’all Weekly team, we’re sharing the YWCA’s message of ways you can help families experiencing the hunger crisis below.

SNAP benefit delays are impacting YWCA families — here’s how you can help

The federal government shutdown is disrupting SNAP benefits for individuals and families across the country—including 100% of the families in our Families Together (FT) program, 40% of the women in our Women in Transition (WIT) program and many of our families enrolled in our Youth Learning Centers (YLCs).

As we continue to monitor the situation and the uncertainty surrounding SNAP funding, including when benefits will be restored, many families will still face delays before assistance reaches them.

Now more than ever, we need your help to fill this urgent and growing food gap for the people we serve. Below are several ways you can offer support:

1) $25 Gift Cards—highest priority

The purchase of $25 gift cards to Food Lion or Aldi will directly support our housing participants and families enrolled in our YLCs across Mecklenburg and Union counties.

2) Non-Perishable Food Items

We are accepting specific non-perishable food donations to ensure participants receive what they need most. Please only donate items from the list found here.

Looking for more ways to support? We encourage you to support YWCA’s partners, Nourish Up and Second Harvest Food Bank of Metrolina.

All donations, including gift cards and non-perishable food items, can be dropped off at the YWCA front desk (3420 Park Rd, Charlotte, NC 28209) 9 AM-7 PM. Every item collected will go directly to the women and families in our housing and youth programs. Please note, any unused donated food items will be donated to YWCA’s food partners.

We will update our website with information as the situation—and our participants’ needs—continue to change. If you have any questions, please contact our Community Engagement Manager, Jamila Green, at jgreen@ywcacentralcarolinas.org.

Carolina Forward Foundation and The Freedom Center for Social Justice are teaming up to host an evening of trivia, prizes, and purpose, to support their shared work of building a more just and equitable North Carolina.

If you don’t know about the Freedom Center, they work to create culture shifts in social justice, civil rights, LGBTQ+ communities and spaces where people of low wealth and racial minorities live. They work in collaboration, across lines of difference, with local and national organizations that fight for equal protection under the law - work that will continue to be important as the Supreme Court considers reversing the landmark decisions that led to LGBTQ+ equality in North Carolina and across the country.

Tickets are $20 in advance or $25 at the door, and include your first drink (cash bar after). All proceeds directly support the ongoing advocacy, education, and community-building work of both organizations, helping us grow a North Carolina that works for everyone.

Buy Tickets

The trivia host and emcee will be none other than Y’all Weekly publisher Sam Spencer, so bring your team, grab a drink, and get ready to play for some great prizes:

• A 1-hour social media training from Influence NC.

• Swag baskets from both organizations

• A $25 Free Range Brewing gift card

• And more!

Spots are limited, so rally your friends and join us for a night that’s equal parts fun and forward-thinking!

Again, all proceeds go toward supporting the ongoing work of The Freedom Center for Social Justice and Carolina Forward Foundation, helping them continue creating spaces for education, advocacy, and community empowerment. Donations are tax-deductible and will be split equally between both organizations.

Buy Tickets

We are in flux with the 2025 fall slate and in a TWENTY-SEVEN year box office low for October.

I try not to bemoan the box office and Tinsel Town news, but better results mean more studios will take chances on the more mature, low- to mid-budget films which everyone “seems” to be craving.

The issue is that most adults can’t justify the price of a trip to the movies (plus a babysitter) as opposed to streaming some streaming slop from the comfort of their couch. Even my favorite movie of the year, One Battle After Another, will likely just break even when it’s all said and done. For the average American, going to the movies coincides with niche interests or monocultural events (think Barbenheimer or Minecraft) where the cultural zeitgeist will often supersede the quality of filmmaking. Studios have taken notice, and are working to connect on different social media platforms. They’re not above getting TikTok influencers to pump up their films to before release trying to hit each demographic.

Now that we’re closer to awards season, critical darlings from film festivals like Cannes to Sundance are hitting the big screens with varying results. The Smashing Machine received raucous ovations, only to tank at the box office with a $6 million domestic opening.

After the Hunt was set up to be a Luca Guadagnino starring vehicle for Julia Roberts, but only acheived a $2 million domestic opening. The new high-budget adaptation of Frankenstein from Oscar-winning director Guillermo del Toro would have been the biggest draw, but Netflix has only slated it for a limited release before it hits their service on November 7th. Lucky for us that the Independent Picture House is one of those theaters, so get your tickets for this limited period today by clicking here.

Finally, Yorgos Lathimos brings back the strange with his dark comedy Bugonia, an adaption of South Korean film Save the Planet! Featuring his favorite muses — Oscar-winning Emma Stone and the badly-broken Jessie Plemons — you can expect several nominations, but less in ticket sales for this niche slice of weirdness. You can also see this wonderful gem at IPH today!

There are plenty of positives as well as nits to pick with today’s slate of films. They feature excellent auteur directors bending or breaking genre conventions from their previous filmographies to experiment with new themes. We see individual excellent performances even when the writing doesn’t hold up for the whole story. There are intriguing plotlines that hit or miss the mark in terms of execution. Even reimaginings of classic stories, while beautifully shot, leave us wanting more soul. Let’s do a quick roundup of October films featuring The Smashing Machine, After the Hunt, Frankenstein, and Bugonia.

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The Smashing Machine

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This film is essentially a dramatic remake of the 2002 documentary The Smashing Machine: The Life and Times of Extreme Fighter Mark Kerr. Director Benny Safdie who is known for grittier films with brother Josh (who is also directing the sports related Marty Supreme) including Good Times and Uncut Gems takes a more introspective look at the real life fighter who battles injuries, addiction, and personal relationships in the early days of UFC/Pride fighting. Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson stars as the former collegiate wrestler turned mixed martial arts fighter in what feels like a role he was born to play. The film gives you a look at the early days of MMA fighting along with the toll it takes on mind and body.

Highlight of the Film

To me this was easily Johnson’s best acting performance. He was excellent in 2013’s Pain & Gain as well the 2003 action comedy The Rundown but this role gave him room to dive into his character with actual sincerity. His portrayal of Mark Kerr was very subdued, meticulous, and realistic to the actual fighter. Mark’s arguments with his girlfriend, played quite one note by Emily Blunt, felt incredibly honest particularly the post rehab scenes. He may not get an Oscar nod for this but I feel the Golden Globes await for him in this deserving role.

To See, or Not to See

Many wanted this to be more bloodthirsty and bring them back to early MMA days of no holds barred combat. The movie was never about that and wasn’t trying to be although we do get treated to some brutal fight scenes. If you are more into a character driven sports story than this is a great movie that can be viewed when it hits PVOD or streamers.

Matt at the Movies Score: 7.5/10

The Rock gives his best career performance.

After the Hunt

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Previewing this year at Venice, the new Luca Guadagnino directed film has a dynamite cast including Julia Roberts, Andrew Garfield, Ayo Edebiri, and Michael Stuhlbarg. We are set onto the world of academia at Yale University where beloved philosophy professor Alma Inhoff (Roberts) is on the cusp of receiving the coveted tenure position which is in direct competition with her too close for comfort colleague Hank Gibson (Garfield). While hosting a booze laden party with her husband that includes current students as well as her prized PhD protégé Maggie (Edebiri) we begin to see that everyone is wrapped around Alma’s trance. She uses her husband, friends, and students as little pets within this niche world. Hank and Maggie leave the gathering together but we find out from Maggie that Hank crossed some lines physically after a nightcap at her place. The politics of power, academics, ethics, and privilege are present but not fully explored in any meaningful new way with Nora Garrett’s script which basically boils to a “he said, she said” plotline with Alma caught in the middle.

Highlight of the Film

Roberts does what she can in this role that has more plot hole contrivances and serendipitous events than an after school special. She exudes incredible style and panache with a smoldering stare that keeps your gaze on her throughout. Her therapist husband Frederik played by Stuhlbarg is my saving grace with the film. He constantly probes Alma about her sycophants, has cutting dialogue, cooks amazing meals, and longs for the love of his wife which she chooses to share with others instead. His over the top dinner scene where he impetuously reacts to being ignored in favor of others for the last time is a hilarious two minutes burned into my brain.

To See, or Not to See

Guadagnino didn’t seem to have the deeper source material that he usually works with so many of the more interesting moments fell flat even with his stylistic direction. There are a few key scenes that will make the reels in a mostly unremarkable film. I had Stuhlbarg on my brain leaving the theater and gave a higher score than it deserved. You can wait to see this on PVOD or streamers.

Matt at the Movies Score: 7/10

Come for Julia Roberts but stay for Michael Stuhlbarg

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Frankenstein

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Based on Mary Shelley’s 1818 novel, this two hour and thirty minute epic adaptation premiered at the Venice Film Festival to mixed reviews. We get a much deeper backstory on egotistic scientist Victor Frankenstein (Oscar Isaac) including his posh yet harsh upbringing with his cold and calculating father (Charles Dance). We see how the death of his mother creates a fire inside him to bring back the dead. We watch him develop new reanimation techniques to the abhorrence of his medical peers and ultimate shunning from their institutions. Victor is visited by his younger brother Felix’s new fiance’s caregiving uncle Henrich, played wonderfully as always by Christoph Waltz. Henrich besides making familial connections also has a deep fascination with the macabre and deep pockets to further fund Victor’s experiments into fruition. The two team up with young brother Felix to create an extremely sleek steampunk style laboratory where we watch Victor tinker with the human body in order to create this patchwork monster. Felix’s fiance Elizabeth (horror queen Mia Goth) serves as a muse for Victor and the only voice to push back against his manipulative impulsions.

When the time comes Victor brings his new creation to life and then must deal with the care of being a god to his new lifeform. When a dog catches the mail carrier they often are unsure of what to do next and Victor is no better a parent than his father. Thinking the creature to be physically impressive but an intellectual idiot, he leaves it to perish. This is where the story really begins. It escapes its death and with the mind of a new born child must learn to survive in the harsh alpine terrain. As the creature learns, experiences the harsh reality and kindness of humanity, and internalizes its very existence it starts its obsessive hunt to find its creator. Much like Victor, this obsession consumes the creator and the two begin their great chase to each other’s demise.

Highlight of the Film

While Oscar Isaac is extremely charming and convincing of his egomania as Victor, the film shines in its second act as we see the creature evolve through its experiences in the world. Jacob Elordi — who you may know from HBO’s Euphoria, the divisively fun Saltburn, or his turn as Elvis Pressley in Priscilla — is world class Hollywood handsome. His physique to play this role was impressive and the contrast of watching such a beautiful specimen being one of horror’s ugliest creatures was probably not cast by accident with director Guillermo del Toro. Elordi uses his physical stature as well as wonderful makeup to embody the creature in a more humanistic way than any previous iteration of Frankenstein. Think Andy Serkis as Golem or Planet of the Apes style performance. It’s a lovely mixture of man and monster to bring a philosophical tone as it wrestles with its state of being.

To See, or Not to See

Mexican filmmaker Guillermo del Toro is a legend and his work with gothic horror is unprecedented on this scale. With a 120 million reported budget from Netflix he creates a beautiful aesthetic that feels cold, polished, and very steampunk while capturing the mid 19th century poshness of the upper class. His use of the elements, especially the harsh winters gives many scenes an extra layer of crispness that add to the misery of both main characters.

The third act feels very Seinfeld “yada yada” and as a viewer you have a hard time wondering how fiance Elizabeth would be so attached to the creature after such a short time span. It needed to be drawn out further but at two hours and thirty minutes some editing and story choices could have been either expanded or cut shorter. Either way this is definitely a theater “must see” or should watch on the largest screen possible at home when it hits streaming.

Matt at the Movies Score: 8.0/10

del Toro brings his dark magic again to this Elordi showcase.

Bugonia

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Conspiracy theorist and self-taught alien aficionado Teddy (Jesse Plemons) lives with his neurodivergent cousin Don whom he cares for on their families farmhouse. Teddy has been prepping for a showdown with high powered tech pharmaceutical CEO Michelle Fuller (Emma Stone) whom he believes is an alien species “Andromedan” sent to destroy the planet. The two men hatch a plan to capture the alien, question its intentions, and use its access to teleport to its mothership in hopes of saving the planet.

Once they bring Michelle back to the family farm a series of conversations and tit for tat banter between the hyper-intelligent CEO and the tin foil hat truther take wild turns while also giving away some clues as to their connection. Oscar nominated director Yorgos Lanthimos (The Favourite/Poor Things) uses his two superstar actors to drive the story and keep us on our toes with each unique interaction they engage in. Both Plemons and Stone are phenomenal even if the pacing has some issues in the second act.

Highlight of the Film

There is an intentional slow burn as Teddy and Don interrogate Michelle with an ever approaching lunar eclipse deadline. Don, who has been reluctant throughout the kidnapping, takes matters into his own hands in an unexpected turn which sets Teddy and Michelle into a high octane conclusion to a meet up with her supposed mother ship. Teddy must save the world and anyone in high path becomes collateral damage. The last fifteen minutes are a great payoff to all the conversations and paranoia which built over the previous acts of the film.

To See, or Not to See

I mean the jury is pretty much out on director Yorgos Lanthimos, you either dig his style or you don’t. I know some who love The Favourite but bow out for his stranger stories like The Lobster or The Killing of a Sacred Deer, finding themselves depressed by his storytelling. Others love him because of his dark comedy and absurdist nature which pushes both the boundaries of taste.

Finally others want to watch some of the best actors in the business including Colin Farrell, Rachel Weisz, Emma Stone, and Jesse Plemons rise to new heights to bring out the abnormal but resonant stories he creates. This film talks about the infiltration of an alien entity to secretly destroy the through capitalism so it’s as topical as can be!

Matt at the Movies Score: 8.5

Two master actors working crushing the world of weird.

So many other movies are hitting the big screen in the next couple weeks that deserve some attention. Netflix has a new release that is streaming from Oscar-winning director Kathryn Bigelow, A House of Dynamite, that is an apocalyptic thriller which will give you chills.

If I Had Legs I’d Kick You , which features an amazing Rose Byrne performance, is currently out. Sentimental Value, the highly anticipated Norwegian film, and Wicked: For Good also release in the coming weeks.

Head out to your local theaters and go see some amazing stories as we round into form on our Oscar fare. Thanks again for reading Matt at the Movies over at Y’all Weekly.

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First, the most important stuff: no matter how you vote, go vote.

If you’re a North Carolina voter, click here to find your polling place and sample ballot.

However, if you need a reason to vote other than “everyone should,” there is a major referendum on the Mecklenburg County ballot today. It’s not perfect, but it has the potential to transform public transportation in Mecklenburg County.

Here’s what some friends of Y’all Weekly had to say about it:

The Charlotte Post: The referendum has the support of Charlotte’s corporate community and community advocacy groups. There’s also a vocal cohort of opposition, which we share numerous concerns with. Still, we can’t ignore the very real urgency of new infrastructure for a region that’s adding hundreds of new residents by the week. We can’t depend on a dysfunctional federal government that’s more interested in supporting a would-be king than funding services for constituents and state government led by people who see little use for supporting urban North Carolina, especially if it involves rail.

As a result, Mecklenburg is left with an imperfect, if not impossible, choice: go it alone with a local referendum or do nothing and fall further behind.

We’ll take go it alone and urge voters to support the referendum, although we have reservations.

Clayton Sealey: With state and federal governments increasingly reluctant to invest in large urban areas, we must take responsibility for funding our own future. Sunny days may come again, but we cannot afford to wait for perfect conditions or perfect plans. Incremental steps will not relieve the congestion choking a city where 76% of trips are made by car. This referendum isn’t about perfection. It’s about progress, and about saying that our city, our region, and our future are worth investing in.

Even as a daily transit rider, I recognize the limitations our road network faces when it comes to moving people efficiently. This referendum will unlock a tidal wave of resources for Mecklenburg County — about $260 million a year — to invest directly in improving the roads, intersections, and corridors we all rely on. That level of funding is transformational.

And, of course, our co-founder and publisher:

Sam Spencer: A vote in favor of the referendum is a vote for more time.

Better roads, more railways, and a more frequent, interconnected bus system will not only give us more choices, they’ll give us more quality time — and that’s before noting that public transportation is much better for the environment, air quality, and public health than our car culture.

It’s also much safer. Nationwide, approximately 50,000 Americans die each year from vehicle fatalities. Public transit has a lower crime and crash risk compared to driving, and the fatality rate is less than one-tenth that of cars per passenger mile.

More decades with a loved one who chooses transit is an immeasurable benefit.

There are also reasons to vote against. Sales taxes are regressive. “Opponents, including Action NC, say a permanent tax unfairly affects people who can least afford to pay and that more than $200 per year would be a burden to the working class and low-income families.”

However, we believe the current Metropolitan Transit Commission needs reform, and needs to include the voices of transit riders and community members. The only way to do that is a YES vote on the referendum.

No matter how you vote, however, go VOTE.