The Charlotte Hornets have won four straight games, and a common denominator in those contests is the Hornets carrying a double-digit lead into the fourth quarter. Whenever they have that comfortable a cushion, their stars usually don’t have to play a lot of minutes, keeping their bodies fresh and helping them avert injuries as much as possible.
For instance, Charlotte needed less than six minutes to race to a 20-9 lead over the Memphis Grizzlies on Wednesday, thanks to Brandon Miller and Miles Bridges combining for 16 of its points. The Grizzlies managed to keep it close in the first half and trailed by just 62-55 at the break.
However, the Hornets broke the game open in the third quarter, led by strong performances from their starters. They had a 90-75 cushion entering the final frame and held on for the 112-97 victory.
Among the starters, those who played at least 30 minutes were just Moussa Diabate (33) and Miller (30). It’s worth noting that LaMelo Ball suited up for just 23 minutes, which should help prepare him for a potentially more difficult matchup against the Dallas Mavericks on Thursday.
The win streak should serve as a lesson for Hornets
During Charlotte's four-game win streak, none of its players needed to play more than 33 minutes. Its bout versus the Washington Wizards nearly turned out to be the exception, as it was unable to preserve its 93-81 margin after the first three periods. The Wizards then mounted a rally in the fourth quarter behind their upstart youngsters, but the Hornets were able to hold them off and eke out the 119-115 victory.
Fortunately, the Hornets didn't have to work as hard in the other two dubs during that stretch. They built on a 35-20 margin to defeat the Orlando Magic 124-97 on Thursday and outscored the Philadelphia 76ers 81-37 in the second and third quarters in their Monday afternoon matchup to go up by as many as 50 on the scoreboard and end up with the 130-93 dub.
Clearly, good things happen for Buzz City when they start games clicking on both ends of the floor and when they don't have to play catch-up in the final period. Besides going home with the win, the players aren't as fatigued and are less susceptible to going down with injuries.
Hopefully, coach Charles Lee has taken notice and can come up with ways to have his wards play with plenty of energy on offense and defense as soon as the ball is tipped off. Does that mean using Ball as a reserve in a game during back-to-backs should be shelved? We'll find out what Lee plans to do and how it works out in a matter of hours.