The Charlotte Hornets set the tone for the season with a convincing win over the Brooklyn Nets.

The summary

The first quarter functioned as a bit of a showcase for the Hornets rookies, two of which got the start. Kon Knueppel made the team’s first field goal of the season, a coast to coast layup over Cam Thomas. He added a catch and shoot three later in the quarter. In between, Ryan Kalkbrenner scored six straight at one point. Sion James checked in and almost immediately blocked a shot, then got a finish off a baseline cut shortly after. The second quarter was where the Hornets really made some hay. LaMelo Ball found Brandon Miller on a few alley oops, and the latter scored 15 points in the second quarter alone. Ball was dropping dimes all over the floor, and the Nets could not keep up with the Hornets’ pace as they raced out to a 77-60 lead.

The third quarter was no work of art. The Hornets got sloppy for a spell on both ends of the floor, turning the ball over and letting the Nets get open looks from deep. Collin Sexton seemed to sense the need for stability and repeatedly attacked the paint upon crossing half court, which got the offense rolling again heading into the fourth. The Nets cut into the lead a bit more there, but a 9-0 run that included five points from Tidjane Salaün reextended the lead and put the game out of reach.

The Good

The Hornets extended their league best winning streak in season openers, which is a weird bit of trivia.

The brand of basketball the team played is exactly what fans are going to want to tune into on a regular basis. The pace was very very good, and the ball movement was phenomenal. The Hornets had a number of possessions that featured multiple forays into the paint followed by kickouts. It was winning offensive basketball.

Rookies Kon Knueppel and Ryan Kalkbrenner both got starts in their NBA debuts, and both met the occasion. Knueppel got hot for a little bit in the third quarter and showed the shot making that infatuated draft people over the summer. Kalkbrenner seemed to have more nerves, but he powered through them for a double double with a pair of blocks. He should have had two more blocks that were called fouls despite looking completely clean on replay.

The veteran core three all looked ready to lead a good team. Brandon Miller was picked by many as a breakout candidate this season, and he looked the part. He finished with a pretty effortless 25 points and seven assists despite not being quite dialed in from three quite yet. LaMelo Ball was under control and looked more like the distributor he was prior to last season. Bridges looks lean and and like an ideal glue guy for the starting lineup.

I could really include everybody in this section. Nine Hornets scored in double figures and everyone did exactly what would be expected of them in their respective roles.

The Bad

It’s to be expected in the season opener, but there was some sloppiness on both ends of the floor at times. After the adrenaline wore off in the second half, there were times when the Hornets looked like they weren’t all the way sharp or focused. That should resolve over time.

The referees had themselves a night. They called 53 fouls, and the second quarter alone seemed to take an hour because there were so many fouls and free throws. We’ll chalk it up to setting a tone or something.

The Hornets were 0-of-2 on technical free throws. They need to practice those.

What’s Next

The Hornets currently sit in a tie for first place in the Eastern Conference. They’ll try to build off that against VJ Edgecombe (who had 34 points in his debut) and the 76ers on Saturday.