Charlotte Hornets four game winning streak about depth
By W.B. Whitted
Four straight wins from the Charlotte Hornets mark the longest win streak of the season. The Hornets beat the Miami Heat 108-103 over the weekend. They did it by jumping on the Heat right away. They outscored Miami 29-16 in the first quarter. They also had contributions from lots of different places.
Six different Hornets scored in double digits, including a 15-point performance by Dennis Smith Jr. The bench was huge for the Hornets. They outscored the Heat’s bench 36-10. The game was only the second in a Heat uniform for Kevin Love, a buyout from the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Heat have been looking to improve on offense, and adding a shooter like Love was the team attempting to address the issue.
Charlotte Hornets extend Miami’s losing streak
Miami is also on a streak. A losing streak. The loss against the Hornets marked the fourth-straight loss for the 32-29 team. The seventh-placed Eastern Conference team has primarily been disappointing following their Eastern Conference final appearance last season. Jimmy Butler, who had 28 points, was upset after the game: “I’m tired of losing…we’ve got to figure this out.” The four-game skid is tied for the season’s longest losing streak.
The Hornets have looked good even before the All-Star break. Having a full, healthy roster has certainly helped. The Miami game marked the second game for Kelly Oubre Jr. since returning from a hand injury. He came off the bench and scored 15 points, on a 5/10 shooting performance. Having Oubre back is helpful because it gives the Hornets a larger margin of error. Important on a night PJ Washington was unavailable.
Terry Rozier had a rough shooting night. He went 3/15 from the field including 1/7 from two-point range. The inefficient 14-point night might’ve sunk the Hornets earlier in the season. Rozier, who has the second-highest scoring average on the team (21.4), only had nine points in the previous game. The Hornets won both, flexing their talent and depth.
The game served as a homecoming for two members of the Heat roster. Caleb Martin and Cody Zeller returned to the Spectrum Center in Charlotte to face their former team. In fact, Zeller’s +2 was the highest mark for anyone on the Heat’s bench. Duncan Robinson had a rough night. In only about five minutes of game time, Robinson was an abysmal -17. He’s consistently targeted on defense and is averaging only 32% from behind the arc.
The Hornets play the Detroit Pistons Monday, February 27, 2023. The Pistons are currently on their own four-game losing streak. The game will feature two of the four worst records in the NBA this season. In the race to the bottom, this game may be very important in determining draft order this summer.