Charlotte Hornets: Best wins and worst losses of 2020-21 season
By Jason Huber
The three worst losses:
#3: April 1 at Brooklyn Nets 111-89
Not only was this loss bad but it was nationally televised on TNT at a time when the Charlotte Hornets were beginning to hit their stride.
From the get-go, Brooklyn dominated, outscoring the Hornets 32-11 in the first quarter. Charlotte missed 19 of its 23 shots in that quarter and the deficit was 47-18 midway through the second quarter.
Keep in mind, LaMelo Ball had already fractured his wrist just two weeks prior but Gordon Hayward was still healthy and it was just a flat-out poor performance by the Hornets.
Charlotte had a better second quarter offensively, putting up 37 points, but still allowed 36 to the Nets. The game was never close and Brooklyn made 20 three-pointers while having six players score in double-digits.
It was a game that most fans wish wasn’t nationally broadcasted, let alone happened at all.
#2: May 6 vs. Chicago Bulls 120-99
The Hornets were still fighting for a playoff spot at the beginning of May and the loss to a bad Chicago Bulls’ team was just the beginning of a six-game losing streak that would begin three days later.
LaMelo Ball was back but shot an awful 1-for-10 from the field. Gordon Hayward, Miles Bridges, and Devonte’ Graham were all out with injuries and Charlotte just wasn’t good.
Bulls’ all-star guard Zach LaVine made his return from injury and Chicago jumped out to a 10 point lead in the first quarter and never looked back.
A dismal third quarter in which the Hornets were outscored 37-21 helped the Bulls pull away for a 21 point victory.
PJ Washington was the Hornets leading scorer with 24 points and Malik Monk scored 20 off the bench in his return from an ankle injury but the presence of Chicago center Nikola Vucevic was too large for Charlotte to defend.
Vucevic scored 29 points on 12-for-24 shooting and he hit five three-pointers.
The Hornets struggled against Chicago all season but this was one of the worst losses.
#1: May 18 @ Indiana Pacers 144-117
This was the ticket for the Hornets to clinch their first playoff berth in six years and ended up being the worst loss of the season.
Charlotte was embarrassed from start to finish. Without one of its stars, Caris LeVert, who missed the game due to health and safety protocols, Indiana raced out to a 40-24 first-quarter lead and never looked back, ending the Hornets season with a 27-point victory.
Miles Bridges scored 23 points but Cody Zeller was one of Charlotte’s best performers with 17 points on perfect 7-for-7 shooting.
As Bridges said after the game, the Pacers played like they wanted to be in the playoffs and the Hornets didn’t.
Charlotte looked like a team with no playoff experience, which they were. Hopefully, this awful loss can be looked back upon with motivation as the game that got the franchise finally getting over the hump.