When it comes to underwhelming stretches of basketball, the Charlotte Hornets play over the past month-plus has been a perfect example of that. The Hornets managed just one win during a stretch from December 9th to January 18th, but they were finally able to register a second win that also ended a six-game losing streak with Friday night's 124-120 win over the Victor Wembanyama-less San Antonio Spurs.
The possiblity of coming out victorious was mentioned earlier this week (kudos to me). With that being said, there was still a chance that Charlotte could have botched a golden opportunity that fell into their laps, that nearly happened.
San Antonio actually held a small two-point lead over Charlotte with just over four minutes gone into the game's final quarter. Luckily, the Hornets were able to go on a 22-17 run that would secure the incredibly elusive win.
Even though beating one of the few teams with a worse record than Charlotte is far from impressive, it is still an important step forward for the Hornets. This is a game that Charlotte could, and probably should have lost, considering how many times they have done so over the past two seasons. There was a very real possibility that Charlotte could have let this game slip through their fingers like they have so many times before. Being able to battle back and hold on to a slim four-point win is still notable.
There is a very good chance that the Hornets will trade away a few veteran players before the rapidly approaching NBA trade deadline. This will result in an already youthful Hornets team having more young players see significant minutes. While their overall chances of winning will more than likely decrease, the increase in playing time will eventually lead to wins like Friday's occurring more frequently and eventually more competitive games against better teams overall.