Buzz Bulletin: The Brandon Miller Show
The Hornets handle the Hawks as a (now?) routine victory turned into a 107-110 nail-biter in the final moments. The win secured 9th Place in the East and the "BBQ Series" trophy for the Hornets.
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.
“We come into every game as the hunters, and [that’s] flipped from the beginning of the season. We were building good habits, but now we come in expecting to win games.”
Charlotte Hornets Rookie Kon Knueppel
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.
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