Hornets Hovering at .500
While the Hornets fell to Phoenix after finally earning even record, postseason hopes are alive as Charlotte's Kon Knueppel becomes the leading candidate for NBA Rookie of the Year honors.
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.
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