For one half and three minutes, the Charlotte Hornets were able to keep up with the Los Angeles Lakers. Then, a familiar disaster took place for the Hornets. From the 9:12 to the 7:06 mark of the third quarter, their 71-67 deficit ballooned to a 79-67 margin. They continued to bleed points through the rest of the period, with Los Angeles taking an 18-point lead into the fourth.
A major reason behind Charlotte's struggles was turnovers. The Lakers' run was kick-started by an offensive foul by Collin Sexton. Then, during that two-minute stretch, Sexton and Kon Knueppel each logged a turnover. All in all, the Hornets turned the ball over eight times in the third quarter, serving as a painful reminder of how LaMelo Ball's absence has exposed a glaring weakness for the team.
The problem is that it remains unclear when the star will return, and no one else on the squad has proven capable of consistently and effectively facilitating the offense.
Knueppel did well in making plays for his teammates, falling an assist shy of a triple-double. However, he looks more comfortable as a secondary creator than a de facto point guard. Sexton is really more of a shooting guard than a point man. Tre Mann dished out five assists on Monday, but some of them were broken plays that resulted from his ball-stopping tendencies. KJ Simpson is running out of time to show that he can be an NBA-level playmaker. The idea that Liam McNeeley can serve as a point guard, which he did in his lone season in college, is out the window.
Hornets cannot play catch-up all the time
You have to hand it to Charlotte, though, for cutting the lead to a single digit in the fourth quarter. It has continued to admirably exhibit the ability to still bring the energy despite facing a massive hole in the scoreboard. Unfortunately, it just does not have enough talent to complete rallies in the fourth period.
So, the Hornets should try to avoid collapses like the one they fell into in the third stanza of their Monday tiff with the Purple and Gold. The thing is, it was not the first time they let turnovers and low-quality shots stall their momentum. A similar occurrence transpired in their previous two losses to the New Orleans Pelicans and Miami Heat.
Unfortunately, the Hornets are completely dependent on Ball's availability to be a competent offensive club on most nights. So, unless he is able to find a way to get his body right, or until the front office decides to seek reinforcements in the playmaking department, fans have to prepare for an offensive disaster every time Charlotte steps on the floor.