Hornets rally to complete 4th quarter comeback in win over Hawks
The Charlotte Hornets were able to get their season started on a good note, with a 116-110 win over the visiting Atlanta Hawks. This was a win that was far from being a lock, considering that Charlotte found themselves four points just about midway through the 4th quarter.
Trailing 94-90 with 6:39 to play, Charlotte needed a collective effort to come out victorious, and a collective effort is what they got. Brandon Miller (8), P.J. Washington (7), Terry Rozier (7), and Mark Williams (4) scored all 26 points for the Hornets from that point forward, as Charlotte outpaced Atlanta 26-16 over the remainder of the 4th quarter. Being able to show the type of composure to come back when staring a loss right in the face is an impressive way to cap off their first win of the season.
Charlotte did manage to outshoot Atlanta from the field and from deep, going 43-86 and 11-37 respectively compared to 39-93 and 5-29. While the Hornets’ 50% from the field is impressive, their 29.7% from beyond the arc leaves a lot to be desired. This is an area that needs drastic improvement as the season progresses if they are going to be anything other than an afterthought in the Eastern Conference.
Hornets of note
Washington led all scorers in the contest with 25 on 12 of 18 from the field in 32 minutes. Only one of his six three-point attempts went in, with the overwhelming majority of his damage coming from two-point range.
Rozier was the second-highest scorer in the game, scoring 24 points, with a good chunk coming from the charity stripe (8-12).
Williams finished with what should be his first of many double-doubles on the year, scoring 13 points and grabbing 15 rebounds.
Miller’s 13 led Charlotte’s bench in his NBA regular season debut. The second overall selection converted on three of seven attempts from three-point range and five of nine overall. While Miller’s -13 in the plus/minus department is far from encouraging, he was able to come through when it mattered most, scoring the most points of any Hornets player during their 4th quarter rally.
LaMelo Ball was also able to finish with a double-double by way of 15 points and 10 assists. 12 of Ball’s points in the contest came from three, while the other three were from the free throw line. Knocking down four threes in a game is great, missing all four two-point attempts is not. Charlotte needs Ball to be able to score from other places on the floor if they are going to experience any level of success this season.
