It was a tale of two halves for the Charlotte Hornets on Friday. They went on an 11-2 run to go up 65-52 at halftime versus the Chicago Bulls. Miles Bridges capped the rally with another last-second wild 3-pointer.
The Hornets looked on the way to snapping an eight-game losing skid and securing their second win since November 21. Nearly everything was going right on offense in the first 24 minutes of the contest, as they shot 53.5 percent from the field while assisting on 16 of their 23 field goals. And in an unusual turn of events, Charlotte went on a trip to the charity stripe 20 times, albeit hitting just 14 of them.
Things unraveled in the second half, though. Another quarter of getting blown out caused the Hornets' demise. Detroit ultimately did just enough to complete the comeback victory.
Hornets' offense vanished after intermission
Charlotte was outscored by 15 in the third period (32-17). If that sounds familiar, that's because the team suffered a similar fate against the Chicago Bulls in its previous match. That face-off saw the Hornets log an impressive opening stanza, racing to a 24-15 margin. However, a 37-22 deficit in the succeeding quarter prompted their overtime loss.
Putting up 17 points in the third period after it finished the first two quarters scoring over 30 in each was a one-step-forward-two-steps-back scenario for Charlotte. Giving up 32 to Detroit made it worse.
The good news for the squad was that it was able to hold the Pistons to 14 markers in the final canto. The bad news? It could only muster an inexplicable 12 points in that period, far from the solid offensive fourth quarters it has typically registered this season.
As such, the Hornets were unable to reach the 30-point mark in the second half. In an era where it's common to watch teams effortlessly get to 30 in a period, seeing one fail to do so in two quarters can be quite upsetting for fans.
Charlotte's dubious letdown is so rare that only two other squads have done it in the 2024-25 campaign. The New Orleans Pelicans scored 28 in the first half of their early December bout versus the New York Knicks, while the Sacramento Kings notched a 29-point first half against the LA Clippers in November. So, that means the Hornets actually became the first team not to score at least 30 in the second half this season.
It's unclear when they can turn it around, and some fans have been frustrated with the different ways Charlotte has lost in the first two months of the regular season. Unfortunately, those who wish to see the franchise start putting up some dubs might have to stretch their patience.