Only a few people may have noticed that the Charlotte Hornets entered their Wednesday matchup versus the Memphis Grizzlies with the current second-longest winning streak in the Eastern Conference. Their three consecutive victories fell just one short of the Milwaukee Bucks' four straight dubs.
While the team and its fans were likely wishing for the Hornets to extend the streak, Memphis easily dashed their hopes with a dominant first half. The Western Conference contender ran to a 38-25 lead in the opening period before pushing the margin to 78-48 by halftime.
The Grizzlies are just a different beast compared to the opponents Charlotte defeated in the previous games, including the Phoenix Suns five contests before.
Lack of another shot-creator will doom the Hornets
The squads the Hornets beat during their presumably short-lived streak were the Utah Jazz, Chicago Bulls, and Dallas Mavericks. Those three, as well as the Suns, are presently just not at Memphis' level.
With so many weapons at their disposal, the Grizz had Charlotte scrambling on defense. Ja Morant, Jaren Jackson Jr., and Desmond Bane were the usual suspects in the first half, but reserve Luke Kennard also did plenty of damage by hitting six 3-pointers.
Charlotte is due for a bad defensive game from time to time, especially because it lacks the personnel and its coaching staff is still inexperienced to bring the consistency to that end of the floor every night.
However, it could have probably put up a bigger fight had the team solved its playmaking woes. Unfortunately, only LaMelo Ball is its reliable offensive option, and he has gone cold in Tennessee. Miles Bridges is also struggling after impressing fans with his recent performances.
Not even the return of Brandon Miller could solve its problem, as his ball-handling has remained suspect all season long. Perhaps Tre Mann can help, especially since he has proven capable of being a microwave scorer off the bench. However, the combo guard's return is still up in the air, and no update about his recent supposed reevaluation has been published.
As it stands, the Hornets are on their way to a loss, as they entered the fourth quarter trailing by 22.
There is a sense of optimism around the organization as it will start a nine-game homestand on Friday. However, if it cannot address its fundamental roster flaw of not having another guy who can make scoring plays for himself or others, it's hard to expect the Hornets to rack up the wins.