Current Record: 2-1, 7th in the East
Next Game: Tonight vs. Washington - 7:00 PM ET
Watch on WSOC (Channel 9) or DAZN
After opening the season with a 110-103 win in Brooklyn on Wednesday thanks to 21 points from Grayson Allen and a double-double from Naz Reid, the Hornets split their first two games at home.
Hawks Drop Historic Drubbing on Short-Handed Hornets
Hawks 128, Hornets 81
The absence of injured Hornets Kon Knueppel and Coby White, coupled with poor shooting from the Hornets, was too much for Charlotte to overcome in their home opener at the Spectrum Center against the hot-handed Atlanta on Friday, October 23.
Jalen Johnson flirted with a triple double, scoring 19 points to go along with 8 assists and 7 rebounds; Aaron Wiggins matched Johnson’s total with 19 points off the bench; and the Atlanta Hawks handed Charlotte their most lopsided defeat ever in a home opener, routing the Hornets by a record 47 points in a 128-81 demolition of their Southeast Division rivals.
After Charlotte gained an early 9-7 advantage, Atlanta went on a 20-3 run on their way to a 33-20 lead after one quarter, and the Hornets never seriously threatened to make a game of it thereafter. Atlanta opened up a 45-25 advantage just a couple of minutes into the 2nd frame, and though Charlotte managed to get back within 13 at 56-43 after a Grayson Allen three-pointer, the Hawks responded with a 25-2 run spanning the second and third quarters to take an 81-45 lead and put the game away for good. Atlanta held a 97-62 lead heading into the fourth quarter as dejected Hornets fans started heading for the exits.
Atlanta also set their own franchise record for margin of victory, surpassing their 46-point win over Sacramento in November of 2017.
Naz Reid led Charlotte in scoring with 17 points.
Keys to the Game
Atlanta’s stifling defense created 25 turnovers, a whopping 17 of which came off of steals. During a particularly bad sequence for the Buzz, Charlotte opened the third quarter with five turnovers in their first six possessions, repeatedly throwing the ball into the waiting arms of Atlanta defenders.
Hornets head coach Charles Lee had this to say when asked about all of those costly live-ball turnovers: “Some of it is us not doing what we do or not being in the spots we’re used to being in… positions that the ball-handler isn’t familiar with-or the screener- and it creates some indecision. Then there were a couple that were just a little too casual. I think a lot of those two areas are just us needing to look inward and figure out how we could be better.”
The Hawks wielded their balanced scoring attack to devastating effect against the helpless Hornets. Atlanta shot 40% from deep in making 18 three-pointers, and when they weren’t knocking down shots from long-distance, they repeatedly sliced through Charlotte’s defense for close-range push shots in the paint, layups, and dunks. Seven players scored in double figures for Atlanta.
Charlotte shot a dismal 34% from the field, including just 22% from 3-point territory.
Brandon Miller, fresh off signing the largest contract in Hornets history, had a catastrophic night shooting the ball, finishing 2/14 from the field overall and 1/11 on 3-pointers.
Buzz Bright Spots
Are we allowed to say Petey Pablo?
As far as Hornets fans were concerned, the brightest spot of the evening may have been the Greenville, North Carolina native’s halftime performance of his hit song ‘Raise Up’. He made another appearance on court during a second-half timeout.
After both logging DNP’s by coach’s decision against Brooklyn, former lottery pick Tidjane Salaun and rookie Hannes Steinbach saw their first action of the season Friday night. Salaun, the 3rd year player out of France, tallied 11 points, 5 rebounds, and 2 steals in 23 minutes, and Steinbach, the rookie lottery pick from Germany, added 6 points and 5 rebounds in just 12 minutes.
Sharp-shooter Grayson Allen had his second straight efficient game from 3-point territory, going 3/6 from deep after his 5/8 performance against the Nets two nights earlier.
Buzzworthy Facts
Sion James produced the exact same field-goal shooting stat line as he did in the season opener against Brooklyn, going 1/7 overall from the field and 1/6 on 3-pointers. James’ discouragement at his inability to knock down open shots was evident at various times during the game, particularly during the moments when he checked out of the game, his shoulders slumped as he trudged to the bench.
The league leaders in assists per game last year at 30.1, Atlanta finished the contest with 37 assists.
In perhaps the clearest statistical indication of Atlanta’s dominance, every single Hawks player posted a positive net differential (indicated by +/-) for the game, led by Alexander-Walker’s +43 in 27 minutes. And in perhaps the clearest statistical indication of Charlotte’s futility, every single Hornets player posted a negative +/-, with Brandon Miller being a team-worst -37 in his 23 minutes of playing time.
Only three players in NBA history have recorded at least 20 points, 10 rebounds, 5 assists, and 4 made three-pointers in their franchise debut. Two of those players were on the court Friday night: Atlanta’s Jock Landale, and Naz Reid, who achieved the feat Wednesday evening against Brooklyn. The third player on the list is all-time great sharp-shooter Ray Allen.
The 47-point margin of defeat eclipsed the 40-point loss Charlotte suffered in the very first home opener the franchise ever played all the way back in 1988, when the Cleveland Cavaliers defeated the Hornets 133-93.
Buzz Bounce Back to Beat the Heat
Heat 110, Hornets 115
The Charlotte Hornets defeated the winless Miami Heat 115-110 at the Hive Saturday night, giving the home crowd plenty to cheer about one night after hearing boos from their fans time and time again during a record setting blowout loss against the Atlanta Hawks. A fourth quarter blitz from the Heat turned a laugher into a neck-and-neck contest, but a timely four-point play and a clutch play on the defensive end from Grayson Allen sealed the victory for Charlotte as they improved to 2-1 on the young season.
Charlotte appeared to be cruising to victory when they led 96-75 going into the final frame, but the live-ball turnovers that doomed Charlotte against Atlanta reared their ugly head again as Miami went on a furious 25-4 run to tie the game at 100 with 5:42 left. With the game still knotted at 104 as the game approached the 3-minute mark, Allen drained a heavily contested long-range bomb while drawing a foul from Tim Hardaway Jr. His free throw gave the Hornets a four-point cushion, and with under a minute left and Charlotte hanging on to a five-point lead, Allen drew a foul on Heat star Bam Adebayo on a moving screen with 48.2 seconds left, effectively ending Miami’s valiant comeback attempt.
Charlotte had four players with at least 20 points, led by Brandon Miller (34 points), who had a nice bounce-back game after scoring only six points against Atlanta the night before. Dennis Schröder, the fourteen-year veteran who continues to fill in brilliantly at starting point guard during Coby White’s recovery from a calf injury, delivered his finest performance yet in a Hornets uniform, pouring in 25 points in a team-high 38 minutes. Naz Reid also continued his impressive start to his Hornets’ tenure, adding 23 points and 9 rebounds, and Grayson Allen scored 20 points of his own off the bench.
Davion Mitchell notched a double-double to lead Miami with 22 points and 10 assists, and Bam Adebayo, who last season scored 83 points in a single game, finished with 20 points and 8 rebounds.
Keys to the Game
Charlotte’s energy on defense was night and day compared to their performance against Atlanta. Buzz defenders flew around the court to close out on Miami’s perimeter shooters, limiting wide open shots available to their opponents. They routinely double-teamed newly acquired Heat star Giannis Antetokounmpo and stymied his offensive production, limiting the foul-plagued Greek superstar to only 14 points on 4/11 shooting. Antetokounmpo fouled out with 1:57 left in the fourth quarter after only 25 minutes of playing time.
The foursome of Miller, Schröder, Reid, and Allen combined for 102 points, providing the scoring punch the Hornets needed to get the victory.
The Hornets dominated the 2nd and 3rd quarters, outscoring Miami 65-44.
Buzz Bright Spots
Schroder’s three-point shooting was a pleasant surprise for the Buzz. After going a combined 0/5 in his first two games as a member of the Hornets, Schroder caught fire in the 2nd quarter, draining a pair of threes on consecutive possessions early in the quarter and adding a third later on as the game approached the halftime break. He finished with an impressive line of 25 points, 6 rebounds, and 4 assists in a Hornets game high 38 minutes.
Grayson Allen continued his red-hot shooting from three-point territory, finishing 4/10 from deep on the way to his second 20-point scoring effort in his first three games with the Buzz.
Charlotte dominated the boards in the first half, grabbing 27 rebounds to Miami’s 15 on their way to a 46-37 advantage for the game.
Buzzworthy Facts
Charlotte went nearly the entire third quarter without committing a foul, picking up their first and only foul of the quarter on a Sion James reach-in with 4.8 seconds left in the frame.
Despite shooting only 10/29 from the field, Miller knocked down a career high 11 free throws on his way to a 34-point night, which tied the third highest scoring game of his young professional career.
Naz Reid knocked down a team-high five three-pointers on eight attempts.
What’s Next
The Buzz complete their three-game homestand against the Washington Wizards Monday night before hitting the road Wednesday to take on the Eastern Conference powerhouse Detroit Pistons.
They finish the week with a rematch against the Wizards Friday night in the nation’s capital to kick off their NBA Cup run before a Saturday evening home game against the 76ers, the new club of superstars Jaylen Brown and Lebron James.
