The Charlotte Hornets lost to the Brooklyn Nets, who entered their Monday tiff with a 3-16 record. It was the third time they lost to a team that's at the bottom of the standings. And it might be time to concede that the Hornets might end up with one of the worst records again this season.
The 116-103 defeat to the Nets was pretty frustrating, as a lot of fans had expected Charlotte to extend its winning streak to three. However, the momentum it picked up in its consecutive wins against the Chicago Bulls and Toronto Raptors quickly dissipated. The first half saw a close fight between the two squads, but the Hornets' offense was nowhere to be found after halftime.
LaMelo Ball looked to feed his teammates more, as he dished out a season-high 14 assists. He also attempted just nine from the field, only sinking three and failing to show that he should have been more assertive in hunting for his shots. Maybe Brooklyn's plan to throw as many bodies on the star as possible threw him off.
Kon Knueppel tried his best to pick up the scoring slack, but could only hit 7-18 from the field to finish with a team-high 18 points.
Miles Bridges scored fewer than 10 for the first time in 21 appearances this campaign. He irked many among the Hornets faithful again with his poor shot selection and inability to convert shots in the paint. Making it worse was that he had put up a season-high 35 markers in his previous showing.
Hornets must find a way to conquer foes they are supposed to beat
Charlotte came into the game perhaps a bit favored to come out with the victory, as it had twice as many wins as the Nets. On the other hand, it might have been a perfect storm for Buzz City. It was playing on the road for its third game in four nights, and Brandon Miller was a late scratch despite Charles Lee apparently having planned for the swingman to suit up. Without Miller, the defensive scheme to stop Ball evidently worked.
In addition, the Nets were probably hoping to avenge their loss to the Hornets in their season opener. It looked that way on Monday, as they showed up with more energy and grit. Meanwhile, most of Charlotte's players seemed lackadaisical, with some of their youngsters being the exception.
Still, the Hornets needed to prove they could beat rivals below them in the standings to show they are on the right track in their rebuild. Unfortunately, losses to Brooklyn and the New Orleans Pelicans and Indiana Pacers earlier in the season might be evidence that they are still a long way from reaching contender status.