Charlotte (2-1) continues to show progress in Charles Lee’s second season.
After losing Brandon Miller early in the game at Philadelphia, the Hornets outplayed the Sixers most of the night. But part of being young in the NBA is learning how to win. Charlotte was up 10 entering the fourth quarter and had a 116-109 lead with 4:19 left.
That’s when Charlotte let go of the rope on defense, in part because the offense missed four straight shots with three of them coming from the three-point line. The Sixers took advantage and eventually took a one-point lead.
After Ball helped the Hornets go back up by two, Philadelphia closed the game on an 8-2 run for a 125-121 win.
The Hornets bounced back with a 139-113 road win at Washington. LaMelo Ball finished with a triple-double (38 points, 13 rebounds, 13 assists). In the win, Bell’s passing chart shows that he was finding win scorers, Kon Knueppel (15 total passes) and Miles Bridges (14 total passes).
The Hornets closed the show, hitting 14-18 shots (5-5 from 3) in the 4th quarter.
What To Look For: at Miami Heat (2-1)
The Heat are coming off a home win over the New York Knicks despite being without Tyler Herro.
Playing Pace Against Heat Defense
The Knicks’ offense struggled all night because the Heat would allow them to play the fast pace Mike Brown wanted them to play at. New York shot 38.8% from the field, including 27.8% on 54 three-point attempts.
The Hornets can’t fall into the same “settle for three” mentality that hurt the Knicks. Getting early offense will be important, but that offense must have dribble penetration and the midrange game.
LaMelo Ball will be key to driving this with his decision-making. Ball needs to get two feet in the paint. Collin Sexton and Miles Bridges should have some midrange opportunities off the dribble. The Hornets taking advantage of those opportunities should help reduce the likelihood of overemphasizing the three-point line.
Limit Offensive Boards
Miami isn’t a team that is going to bludgeon their opponent on the offensive boards as long as you’re paying attention to detail and you get physical with Bam Adebayo and Kal’el Ware.
Bridges and Kalkbrenner will need to lay a body on Adebayo and Ware, and Moussa Diabate needs to continue to bring the energy off the bench. Watch to see how many defensive rebounds Ball gets. When Ball gets the rebound, he’s good at pushing the pace.
Brandon Miller Injury Update
Miller has been diagnosed with a left shoulder subluxation that could keep him out for a couple of weeks. He is seeking a second opinion.
Miller scored 25 points in the opening night win over the Brooklyn Nets. Against Philadelphia, he played nine minutes (four points) before he was injured.
Kon Knueppel re-entered the starting lineup when the Hornets faced the Washington Wizards.
