Brandon Miller scored 21 points, but the Charlotte Hornets lost to Scoot Henderson and the Portland Trail Blazers, 89-86.

The Summary

The main draw of this game was the match-up between the second and third overall picks and last summer’s draft, and they didn’t disappoint early on. Both Brandon Miller and Scoot Henderson made three field goals in the opening quarter as their teams traded baskets. The Hornets hit a cold spell once their bench started to come in, as was the case for most of the pre-trade deadline season. That let the Blazers go on a 9-0 run to finish the quarter and take a nine point lead into the second.

The Hornets started the second quarter sluggishly and briefly saw their deficit to swell to double figures. They crawled back into the game with a couple of little runs that included a nice spurt by Leaky Black that included two buckets and a nice dime to JT Thor. Scoot Henderson hit a couple more threes to keep the Blazers ahead. The game devolved into the sloppiness you’d expect given the depleted rosters, and the half ended with the Blazers up 45-42. JT Thor led the Hornets with nine first half points and Grant Williams dropped a career high eight assists.

The teams played the third quarter to a stalemate. DeAndre Ayton continued to fire up just about every one of his touches and Jabari Walker added a couple of buckets of his own. The Hornets got a little bit from just about everyone that got into the game, and five straight points from Aleksej Pokusevksi and Nick Smith Jr. kept the Hornets within one heading into the fourth quarter.

The Hornets took their first lead since the first quarter on a funky floater by Bryce McGowens, who went down an blocked a shot on the other end right after that. He hit one more mid ranger then missed a few. That led the Blazers go on a run that restored their lead, but McGowens stuck with it and hit a three to keep the game tight. Brandon Miller checked in off the bench to score four straight points that put the Hornets back ahead. That lead was short lived though. Tre Mann missed a couple of threes after a Miller turnover, and Jabari Walker (not Parker) and Scoot Henderson made buckets that put the Blazers up four with a minute to play. Miller scored five straight points and Henderson missed two free throws to give the Hornets a chance, but Miller’s attempt at a go ahead floater was wide of the mark. The home team drew up a phenomenal play to get Davis Bertans open for three, but his attempt

The Good

It might go down as the most important and consequential loss of the season for the Hornets, in a good way. The loss gives them a two game buffer ahead of (behind?) the Blazers in the standings. It also ties them with the Spurs for the third best lottery odds.

Brandon Miller would have liked to have a better night shooting the three, but he made 8-of-12 shots inside the arc and made some big shots down the stretch. It was a good practice game as the alpha of the team, and he did alright for himself.

Marques Bolden had his best game as a pro with seven points and eight rebounds off the bench. Leaky Black did a few good things in 15 minutes of court time.

The Bad

Grant Williams struggled as a scorer without other scorers around him to take some attention. He did register a career high 11 assists, which is definitely worthy of praise, but he was just 1-of-6 from the field for five points.

With most of the Hornets rotation out with injuries and a match-up against a tanking a Blazers team, it was the perfect opportunity for one of the deeper reserves to step up and show out a little bit. None of them did that. JT Thor had a good first half, but he was invisible in the second half. Bryce McGowens and Nick Smith Jr combined to shoot 5-of-18 from the field.

What’s Next

The Hornets have three games left in the homestand. Next up is a visit from the Orlando Magic.