The Charlotte Hornets looked dead in the water during the first three quarters of their Wednesday matchup against the Miami Heat. Trailing 75-58 entering the final period, they could have just mailed it in.
However, the team went alive in the last 12 minutes, thanks to LaMelo Ball's usual fourth-quarter outburst. He scored 16 points in the quarter, and all his field goals were either a 3-pointer or a shot inside the paint.
The Hornets even went up 94-92 courtesy of a long-distance shot from Tidjane Salaun. Unfortunately, Miami scored the final six points of the contest to snatch the victory. Cody Martin could have tied it with 4.1 seconds to go, but he clanked both his free-throw attempts.
Tidjane Salaun proves he belongs in the NBA
Before the fourth stanza, Ball went 5-23 from the field. There was little doubt he would go on a tear from thereon, though. He has developed a reputation for lighting it up in crunch time, regardless of how renowned the opponents may be on defense.
But the star point guard should probably thank his teammates that the margin wasn't as insurmountable as it could have been on Wednesday. A larger deficit would have probably had Charles Lee calling it a night, ending his night early, and preparing a locker room speech.
Helping Ball in the scoring department were Brandon Miller and Salaun, who was the story of the night.
The rookie big man drew the starting gig for the second straight meeting and went to work in the opening stanza. His seven points helped Charlotte go toe-to-toe with the Heat, with the first period ending in a 26-26 deadlock.
The Hornets then took a nap in the middle quarters and allowed Miami to run up the score. One of the exceptions was Salaun, whose defense and effort were evident most of the time that he was on the floor.
The Frenchman also showed no fear of letting it fly, resulting in a career-high 17 points. He shot 7-12 from the field and 3-7 from beyond the arc while contributing four rebounds, two assists, and three steals.
Even though Salaun still looked like a deer in the headlights from time to time, he just proved wrong those who keep arguing that he doesn't belong in the league.
Wins will probably be hard to come by in the next weeks for the Hornets, with injuries having put several of their players out of commission. But if the 19-year-old can replicate his Wednesday performance in the following contests, Charlotte's chances of eking out victories will undoubtedly increase.