Brandon Miller dominated the third quarter and LaMelo Ball dominated the fourth as the Charlotte Hornets came form behind to beat the Indiana Pacers, 103-83.
The summary
The Hornets played some pretty offensive basketball in the first quarter. Brandon Miller and LaMelo Ball made a few smooth driving finger rolls while the 3-point shots weren’t falling. Tre Mann had a stretch where he went on a personal 8-0 run to force a Pacers timeout. The Pacers responded with their own run, and the Hornets led by three after the first quarter.
The second quarter was very not pretty. The Hornets kept finding themselves in late shot clock situations that forced desperation shots that didn’t go in. Their defense forced the Pacers into a similar spot. The one real highlight of the quarter was LaMelo Ball swatting away a Myles Turner shot that led to a run out. He probably should have been given a flagrant foul for getting wrapped up by Jarace Walker, but he didn’t. Tyrese Haliburton had a nightmare quarter with a missed layup, missed dunk, near turnover, and offensive foul in about a two minute span. Both teams had some really sloppy turnovers and ugly misses in a quarter that featured just 33 combined points. It was tied at the half. The Hornets didn’t make a field goal for the final five minutes of the quarter.
LaMelo Ball made a floater on the first Hornets possession of the second half, but that was the only make in a span of 17 attempts that bridged the second and third quarters. A Pacers barrage built up a lead as large as 13 right around the midway point of the third quarter, but that seemed to trigger a Hornets run. They clamped down on the defensive end while Brandon Miller caught fire on offense and got a little help from Tre Mann and Cody Martin. Miller ended up with five 3-pointers and 17 points in the third quarter alone as a 23-2 Hornets run gave them an eight point lead heading into the fourth.
Miller sat to start the fourth. It took a little bit for the Hornets to get the offense going again, but once LaMelo Ball saw a couple of free throws go in, he started his own outburst to put the game away. He scored every way possible—free throws, 3-pointers, and beating defenders one on one. He was the catalyst for a 21-4 Hornets run to end the game.
The Good
The Hornets defense was incredible, especially in the second half. The Pacers, who are normally one of the better teams in the league at generating quick, easy looks, were frequently up against the shot clock and couldn’t find an easy shot attempt. They were run off the 3-point line and funneled into crowds where the Hornets could get hands on dribbled and passes. The Hornets earned the 83 points allowed. They allowed just 57 points in the final three quarters.
Brandon Miller and LaMelo Ball were the superstars the Hornets need them to be. The offense bogged down through the middle of the game, but Miller got it untracked in the third quarter. LaMelo took over when he took a breather to start the third and reinforced his NBA best fourth quarter scoring average.
Moussa Diabate is on the floor to play defense and get rebounds, and that’s what he did. He attempted one shot, but that was a putback on a rebound. He grabbed 15 rebounds, blocked three shots, and poked away a steal. He struggled to catch a couple of passes, but he got his hands on a ton of rebounds and loose balls. He is now the franchise record holder for rebounds in a game without a made shot.
Cody Martin had another really strong game. He looks like an entirely different player on the offensive end of the floor in terms of confidence. He had another 15 point game off the bench.
Tre Mann had another great game off the bench, especially in the first half. He made some tough shots when the offense was otherwise bogged down.
He didn’t do much on offense, but Josh Green was an absolute lockdown defender when he was on the floor.
The Bad
Not a lot. The offense was rough in the first two-and-a-half quarters, but the Hornets figured out in time to run away with the win.
What’s Next
The Hornets visit a 1-7 76ers team that’s missing its two best players.
