Charlotte Hornets Player Grades: Heartbreaking loss to ATL
The Charlotte Hornets lost a close one to the Atlanta Hawks on Sunday night, thanks to a game-winning drive by Kent Bazemore.
Man, what a tough loss for the Charlotte Hornets. It was a close game all night long, but in the end, the Hornets came up short and are now below the .500 mark with a record of 9-10.
These are the games that you really need to win if you want to be in the playoffs. Atlanta had lost 10 consecutive games prior to this victory, and the Hornets had a chance to win it, but made critical mistakes down the stretch.
Atlanta won the game off a great drive by Kent Bazemore, and a game-sealing block on the other end by John Collins.
Regardless of the records, this is a professional basketball team, and you’ve got to come out focused from the tip. Charlotte got off to a good start, scoring 43 points in the first quarter. However, I think the team overall lost that intensity after that point, and the Hawks took advantage.
The Charlotte Hornets got some great play from Malik Monk and Marvin Williams, but it wasn’t enough. Those two will earn our top grades for tonight’s game. It should also be noted that the team was without Michael Kidd-Gilchrist and Tony Parker, who are still out with injuries. Bismack Biyombo and Willy Hernangomez were DNP-CD’s.
Let’s get into the grades.
C+. <a rel=. SF/SG. Charlotte Hornets. DWAYNE BACON
SF/SG. Charlotte Hornets. NICOLAS BATUM. B. I feel like this was one of Batum’s best performances of the year. He finished with 14 points, five rebounds and five assists. He did a good job getting his shots within the flow of the offense and he was moving the ball very well.
SF/PF. Charlotte Hornets. MILES BRIDGES. C-. Another tough game for the rookie <a rel=
DEVONTE' GRAHAM. C-. This was <a rel=. PG. Charlotte Hornets
B-. <a rel=. C/PF. Charlotte Hornets. FRANK KAMINSKY
B-. It felt like <a rel=. SG/SF. Charlotte Hornets. JEREMY LAMB
Charlotte Hornets. MALIK MONK. A. The star of the night was clearly Malik Monk, who was coming off of a DNP-CD against the Thunder. I wrote about my concern with benching Monk, and I was glad to see him out there tonight. He had 26 points and a career-high seven three-pointers off the bench.. SG/PG
KEMBA WALKER. B. <a rel=. PG. Charlotte Hornets
A-. Marvelous Marvin had his best game of the season tonight, scoring 20 points and hauling in 13 rebounds. Williams hit four three-pointers and was a steady force for the Hornets all night long. Without him or Monk, the Hornets would have gotten destroyed.. PF. Charlotte Hornets. MARVIN WILLIAMS
Hot. Potential trades with each southeast team. light
CODY ZELLER. B. The underrated <a rel=. C. Charlotte Hornets