The Charlotte Hornets figured in consecutive bouts with the Phoenix Suns after their games against the Los Angeles Lakers and LA Clippers had to be postponed due to the ongoing Southern California wildfires. Fans who thought that it would have been a grand opportunity for the squad to register only its second back-to-back win of the season were likely disappointed with the outcome.
Phoenix defended its homecourt, defeating the Hornets 120-113. It outscored the visitors 27-15 in the fourth quarter, thanks in part to Kevin Durant putting up eight in the period. He got help on offense from unlikely sources, as Royce O'Neale sank two 3-pointers in the stanza, while rookie Oso Ighodaro had eight in five minutes of action in the quarter.
Interestingly, the stage was set up for LaMelo Ball to take over in the fourth, as Charlotte entered the period with a five-point lead. Unfortunately, he let his team down, scoring just four on 2-7 shooting.
Mark Williams' incredible first-half performance went down the drain
Had the Hornets found a way to secure the victory, the game ball would have likely been handed to Mark Williams.
The young center was one of the silver linings in Charlotte's loss. He recorded 22 points and 13 rebounds in the first half alone, shooting 9-10 from the field. Seven of his field goals came off assists, as his teammates were able to find him in the right spots on the court.
However, Williams went invisible after halftime, as the Suns adjusted their scheme to keep the ball from him and prevent him from dominating the glass. He finished the contest with 24 points and 16 rebounds, which were still not too shabby. But even so, his second-half letdown meant that Ball shouldn't shoulder all the blame for the loss.
Still, the 2022 NBA All-Star playing hero ball in the final canto may have killed the Hornets' momentum. To be fair, only Miles Bridges had a decent-looking shot chart in the fourth, with the forward sinking three of his six field-goal attempts. A gassed Williams went 0-2, while Brandon Miller had a 1-3 shooting clip.
So, some fans probably understand why Ball had to take matters into his own hands, which has been a recurring theme for the league leader in usage rate this season. Still, chucking a 33-footer after the Suns logged six unanswered points to go up 111-110 was quite ill-advised. He even had his final 3-pointer blocked by Bradley Beal to finish the evening shooting 9-25 from the field and 5-17 from beyond the arc.
It's back to the drawing board for Charlotte, as it will try to avoid another losing streak when it takes on the Utah Jazz on the road later on Wednesday.
Hopefully, Williams can dish out more strong performances, and Ball can display the improved decision-making in the clutch people saw from him earlier in the 2024-25 campaign.