Brandon Miller scored 29 points, LaMelo Ball was benched in crunch time, and the Charlotte Hornets lost to the Brooklyn Nets, 116-115.

The Summary

The Hornets started the game with their collective hairs on fire. They made their first six shots from the field, five of them being threes, as they broke open a very large early lead. The lead was as large as 17 points late in the first, and that was matched a short while into the second quarter as well.

The wheels started to fall off about halfway through the second quarter. Turnovers started to pile up and the Nets had their own hot stretch of shooting to match what the Hornets did to start the game. The Hornets contributed to that by losing track of their marks both on the perimeter and cutting to the basket while missing shots when they got them on offense. The lead had dwindled all the way down to five by halftime.

The defensive issues that plagued the Hornets in the back end of the first half continued straight through halftime and into the third quarter. The Nets made eight of their first nine shots and used a 20-4 run to open up an 11 point lead less than halfway through the third. Over a ten minute stretch spanning halftime, the Hornets were outscored 39-13.

The Hornets finally steadied themselves after they benefitted from a questionably unsuccessful challenge by the Nets. Tre Mann and Tidjane Salaün spurred a run to close the third quarter to pull the Hornets back within two heading into the fourth.

Tre Mann’s strong play continued into the fourth quarter, and he eventually gave the Hornets the lead back.

ALL THE ANGLES@tre2mann3 | @drpepper https://t.co/IymgQdIEto pic.twitter.com/de16F6OqRI

— Charlotte Hornets (@hornets) November 20, 2024

The teams traded the lead a few times over the course of the fourth quarter with Cam Johnson doing the most damage for the Nets. The Hornets couldn’t stop Trendon Watford bully ball with some uncalled elbows down the stretch as the Nets started to pull away in the game’s closing moments. LaMelo Ball got benched down the stretch after missing a bad shot in transition then committing a foul out of frustration. The Hornets still kept it competitive but lost after Brandon Miller’s heavily contested game tying 3-pointer came up short.

The Good

Brandon Miller looked locked in. He scored 29 points on 17 shots and was confident and aggressive with the ball in his hands. Hopefully this is the start of him breaking out of his slump. It’s the first time this season he’s led the Hornets in scoring.

Miles Bridges had another strong game, scoring 21 points and making five of his nine 3-point attempts. Now we just need all three of he, Miller, and LaMelo Ball to do this on the same night.

Tidjane Salaün had his best game as a pro. He had a nice coast to coast floater off a defensive rebound, hit his one 3-point attempt from several feet behind the line, and made 6-of-7 free throws. Perhaps the 19 year old just needs a little bit of time to get adjusted to the NBA.

Tre Mann finished the game on the floor, and he did earn the minutes. He was a big part of the second half comeback and was dynamic as a shot creator. He also played really strong on the defensive end and was unfortunate to not draw a couple of offensive fouls taking elbows to the mouth.

The Bad

LaMelo Ball getting sat down the stretch for a lack of focus was disappointing. He took a tough floater with a man advantage on a fast break and then hunted down the rebounder and fouled them 80 feet from the basket. After the game, Charles Lee said he felt like Mann was giving the Hornets a little bit more on both ends than LaMelo was.

The turnover problem that looked to be in the rearview mirror came back with a vengeance. The only things that slowed the Hornets early offensive explosion were some unforced turnovers. They committed 23 total on the night and lost the points of turnovers battle by five in a game they lost by one.

The Hornets shot just 18-of-45 from inside the arc. They’ve struggled all season scoring around the basket, and I’m not really sure if there’s any way to fix it without a change in personnel. It’ll probably just have to be something we tolerate all season unless the returns of Mark Williams and Nick Richards help in that regard.

What’s Next

The Hornets return home to host the Pistons on Thursday.