The Charlotte Hornets mustered just ten points in the fourth quarter after a competitive first three quarters as they lost to the Detroit Pistons, 118-100.
The Summary
It didn’t take long for the game to get chippy, just like the last one. LaMelo Ball found Brandon Miller for an alley oop to make the score 4-0 about 100 seconds into the game. Miller landed on Duncan Robinson when he let go of the room, and the two got into a little shoving match afterwards. Both teams struggled to get their offense going until Charles Lee took a timeout about five minutes in. LaMelo hit back to back threes, but the Pistons had answers. The visitors forced some turnovers and got out in transition to break open a seven point lead towards the end of the quarter. Coby White helped cut into that, but the Hornets still trailed by six after one.
LaMelo put on a show in the second quarter. He splashed a couple of regular threes and found Kon Knueppel for another. He swatted Jalen Duren from behind in transition, then a minute or so later, got a steal and a transition opportunity of his own. With two defenders bearing down on him from behind, he veered out to the corner instead of going up for the layup, and he drilled another three to tie the game. JB Bickerstaff called a timeout to calm things down. His Pistons responded with a little bit of a run by bullying the Hornets inside. The two teams traded blows through the end of the half with the Pistons holding a three point lead at the break.
Kon Knueppel had back to back turnovers in the back court early in the second, but it didn’t do too much damage. LaMelo hit yet another three to put the Hornets ahead again and force a Pistons timeout. Again, Detroit bounced back out of the timeout and took their lead back. The whole third quarter was a little clunkier than the first two, but the two teams played it evenly and went into the fourth quarter still separated by three points.
The Pistons’ lead quickly ballooned at the beginning of the fourth quarter as the Hornets struggled with turnovers and creating good looks. The run was 20-3 at its most dramatic after a really careless foul on a 3-point shooter by Brandon Miller. That put the Pistons up 19 with just half a quarter to play, and the Hornets were never going to overcome that with how they were playing. They resorted to hoisting up threes without getting the ball into the paint, and nothing would go down. Charles Lee attempted the bench with three-and-half minutes left. The Hornets had scored six points at that point.
The Good
LaMelo Ball played like a superstar again, for three quarters. He had 25 points and seven assists without a turnover in the first three quarters. He did a good job of absorbing contact from the Pistons defense and got to the line seven times. He just needs to sustain that into the fourth quarter.
Brandon Miller, like LaMelo, was pretty good through three quarters. He scored 22 points and made some real tough shots inside the arc. He only got two-and-a-half minutes in the fourth quarter before the Hornets packed it in, but he only attempted one shot and missed it in that time. Again, like LaMelo, the Hornets have a really good thing here if the play from the first three quarters carries into the fourth.
The Bad
There’s been a concerning trend of the Hornets clamming up in the fourth quarter of these high pressure game. After going toe to toe with the Pistons all game, the Hornets collapsed almost as soon as the fourth quarter started. In every case, it’s been the same. They settle for jumpers and put little to no pressure on the rim. After shooting 23 free throws in the first three quarter, the Hornets didn’t get to the line a single time in the fourth. They were bullied by the Pistons pressure and retreated to the 3-point line where they tried to bomb away with literally zero success. Of the 13 shots the Hornets rotation players took in the fourth, seven were threes, and none went in. They have to find a way to continue to play their game and play free in these high pressure situations.
Kon Knueppel had all sorts of problems. It was maybe the most he’s looked like a rookie all season. He was credited with three turnovers but there were another couple of other less-than-stellar moments. He had two threes that didn’t draw rim that he shot while off balance. He just never looked comfortable, especially when he had to put the ball on the floor. While he probably should’ve earned a couple of whistles, it still wasn’t a great performance.
