Swarm and Sting
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Hornets Split Road Trip, Ready For Home-Court Energy

By Stephen Waniewski

CHICAGO, IL - OCTOBER 24: Justin Holiday #7 of the Chicago Bulls tries to grab the ball away from Kemba Walker #15 of the Charlotte Hornets at the United Center on October 24, 2018 in Chicago, Illinois. The Bulls defeated the Hornets 112-110. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)
CHICAGO, IL - OCTOBER 24: Justin Holiday #7 of the Chicago Bulls tries to grab the ball away from Kemba Walker #15 of the Charlotte Hornets at the United Center on October 24, 2018 in Chicago, Illinois. The Bulls defeated the Hornets 112-110. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images) /
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The Charlotte Hornets look to turn things around at with their home crowd’s energy tonight, as they face the Chicago Bulls for the second time this year. 

After five games, with the last four on the road, the Charlotte Hornets (2-3) will be very excited to return to the familiar Spectrum Center tonight. During this return, they will have another chance to take on the Chicago Bulls, who they fell to on Wednesday night. Kemba Walker and the crew opened up the 2018-19 NBA season at home with a flurry of points, but, that was over a week ago.

Since then, the Hornets have added two notches in both the win and loss columns. The two wins, against Southeast Divisional foes Miami and Orlando, were extra impressive considering it was an early season back-to-back, showing no sign of comatose play. Meanwhile, during the two L’s, the team played with below average energy.

Reviewing the Loss

The most recent outcome, a “giveaway loss” to a hungry and athletic Chicago squad, came down to a pair of free throws with under a second left in the game. The lead constantly changed, twenty-one times exactly before a botched inbounding play led to an iffy, game-deciding foul call. The Hornets didn’t have the intensity to close out the game for a win.

As typical of the last leg of the road trip, energy (or lack thereof) came into play. Trying to impart some juice early; Charlotte Head Coach James Borrego, Kemba Walker, and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist alarmingly each got a first-half technical foul.

James Borrego looking for answers
CHICAGO, IL – OCTOBER 24: Head coach James Borrego of the Charlotte Hornets pleads his case with referee Matt Boland #18 during a game against the Chicago Bulls at the United Center on October 24, 2018 in Chicago, Illinois. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images) /

However, that sluggishness would never evaporate and was visible often. The Hornets couldn’t put away the Bulls, who claim the second youngest roster in the league. Instead, Charlotte had defensive lapses and lazily gave up a decent sized lead late in the contest. The lack of energy would come back to bite the Hornets during the late fourth quarter inbound that would become a game-altering turnover.

Allowing LaVine to go for another 30-point game, his fourth straight, which included the last drive to the rim; and Payne hitting seven three-point FGs are some red flags. Chicago’s Portis left with an injury early, so, the Hornets’ defensive focus should’ve been able to contain the Bulls, specifically LaVine. For most of the game, Charlotte didn’t have the energy to match his intensity on either side of the floor.

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I’ll chalk that L up to a growing team on the road versus a team looking for its first win; but, questions of roster usage, intensity, and defensive focus should be addressed by the staff before they become the norm.

Frank Kaminsky again played zero minutes, plus, the young and newly drafted, Miles Bridges sat all but seven seconds of the first half. Either or both but could’ve provided a much-needed spark (or at least rest) to the team. The energy issue was echoed in a postgame interview with Zeller.

Kemba Walker paced the team in scoring and assists with 23 & 6, but was off his top 5 NBA Scoring league average of 31.0 PPG. Clearly, other guys aside from Kemba need to contribute offensively. Even early in the season, teams are starting to lock down Walker. Players such as Jeremy Lamb and Malik Monk will have to add more than a combined 21 points, especially against a team that was winless at the time.

Tony Parker showed energized leadership and added ten quality bench points. Not forgetting, Cody Zeller showed impressive toughness, he contributed 14 points, 6 rebounds, and four stitches.

Final Thoughts 

The Hornets homecoming will also be the first time the Buzz City crowd gets to show some love to Mr. 10K.  Not only did the Hornets leave Miami with a win, but, Kemba Walker became the first player in franchise history to crack the impressive ten-thousand point total.

Now, with five of the next six games at home, the team should be able to recharge and feed off the home court energy. That road trip was a teaching moment. Hopefully, that recharged energy translates to the defensive end as well as the secondary scorers, which should bode well for the win column.

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