A Charlotte Hornets skeleton crew shot just 33.7% from the field as they lost to the Brooklyn Nets, 104-83.

The Summary

You can tell what the Hornets think of their season by how they manage their injuries. Just like when they played the Blazers last week, they sat a few key players that you otherwise would have expected to play. It made for a starting lineup that featured three, maybe four players that would not get rotation minutes with a fully healthy roster. That lineup struggled out of the gate and set the tone for the entire evening. They missed six of their first seven shots before taking a timeout. They managed just 19 first quarter points and trailed by seven heading to the second.

The Hornets offensive struggles somehow managed to get worse in the second quarter. They made just 5-of-18 shots and Isaiah Wong made the team’s only three. At the half, the Hornets trailed by 16.

The Hornets watched their deficit grow to 20 with a turnover that led to a Nets runout. Miles Bridges tried to inject some life into the Hornets offense and turned up his level of aggression. He scored 12 of the Hornets’ 26 points in the quarter. Unfortunately his teammates made just five of their 16 shot attempts, so the offense never really got off the ground. Meanwhile, the Nets heated up from deep and further added to their lead before the fourth quarter.

The fourth quarter was I guess what you’d call garbage time, but the Hornets had a garbage time lineup on the floor for most of the game anyway. They turned it over on their first two possessions but still managed to cut the deficit to 15 a couple of minutes after that. Ben Simmons converted a 3-point play after a timeout effectively ended the push and allowed the Nets to cruise to the win.

The Good

Vasa Micic took two separate shots to the ribs that seemed to put him in a great deal of pain. He toughed out both of the hits and managed arguably the best statistical output of any Hornet. He’s been very up and down this season. Last night was an up.

Moussa Diabate had a pretty good game off the bench with 13 points and eight rebounds. He’s been substantially more effective than Taj Gibson when Mark Williams is out.

Miles Bridges was okay, particularly in the third quarter.

The Bad

The overall shooting was about as bad as you’ll see from what’s supposed to be an NBA team. The Hornets barely made a third of their shot attempts and less than 30% of thier threes. There were a couple of 2-for-6’s and a couple of other players that went 1-for-10. There were some good looks in there, so it wasn’t like the offense was completely broken. Players just didn’t make shots.

One of those players that went 1-of-10 from the field is Nick Smith Jr., who has been absolutely frigid since his hot first few games as a starter. In the last five games, NSJ has shot 28.9% from the field and 4-of-31 (12.9%) from three.

What’s Next

The Hornets continue their homestand and host the Clippers on Friday night.