Ball’s 32 Points, Bridges’ 21 Get Hornets Back in Win Column

By Matt Rochinski

Head Coach Charles Lee knew what the Hornets needed to do to end their 10-game skid when they took on Phoenix on Tuesday at Spectrum Center. It came down to two things Lee mentioned in his pregame press conference - defense in transition and playing with more pace.

Consider it message heard by the Hornets.

Charlotte outscored the Suns, 26-4, on the fast break, setting the tone in transition throughout the contest on their way to a 115-104 victory over the Suns. LaMelo Ball led the way for Charlotte with 32 points as Charlotte also ended its five-game losing streak to Phoenix with the win, marking its first victory since January, 19, 2019 over the Suns in Charlotte, 135-115.

Top Performers

Ball and Miles Bridges both delivered complete games on the offensive and defensive ends for the Hornets. Ball’s team-high 32 points came on 12-of-28 shooting, and included five three-pointers. It was Ball’s fifth-straight, 20+ point performance and 12th-straight game with multiple threes. The five treys also pushed Ball’s career total to 633 and tied Bridges for the fifth most in Charlotte history. Ball also added 10 rebounds, seven assists and swiped four steals - all of which came in the first half and tied his career high for any half.

Bridges tallied 21 points on 8-of-17 shooting from the field, 2-of-5 from outside the arc and a perfect 3-of-3 at the charity stripe. He also hauled in seven rebounds, handed out three assists and secured two steals of his own while also drawing arguably the toughest defensive matchup of the night on Kevin Durant. After the game, it wasn’t just the stats Bridges was focused, but he also had a message for Buzz City.

“Our fans have been showing up for us this whole year, despite the losses. Shoutout to Buzz City,” he said. “These fans deserve it, for us to go out there and play hard every day, every game. Hopefully we can give them some more wins.”

Turning Point

Trailing 40-33 at the 6:38 mark of the second quarter, the Hornets had to expect some regression to the mean after connecting on just 10-of-35 (28.6 percent) shots from the field, including 3-of-17 (17.6 percent) from three-point range. They also had to expect Ball to shake a slow shooting start (0-of-5 FG, 0-of-3 3PT). Both things came to fruition in a 26-6 Hornets run to close the half, including a 10-point outburst from Ball in that string. Charlotte flipped the contest by connecting on its shots and continuing to play with a defensive intensity that kept them in the game despite a slow start. The Hornets hit on 9-of-15 (60.0 percent) of their shots from the field, including 3-of-6 (50.0 percent) from deep in the final 6:37 of the half, while holding Phoenix to 14.3 percent (2-of-14) shooting and hold the Suns to 0-of-5 shooting from distance in that same span. Ball led the way with 10 points, three assists, one rebound and one steal in the run. On the defensive end, the Hornets dominated in that same stretch, outscoring the Suns 12-2 in the paint, 8-0 on the fast break and 5-0 in second-chance points. Charlotte also outrebounded Phoenix, 13-2, including 4-1 on the offensive glass in the impressive performance to end the half.

Nicks’ Big Night

The Hornets got solid contributions from Nick Richards and Nick Smith Jr. as Charlotte’s bench outscored Phoenix, 35-29. Richards paced all bench scorers with 15 points on 4-of-6 (66.6 percent) shooting from the field and 7-of-8 (87.5 percent) shooting at the free-throw line. Richards also earned his fifth double-double of the season by bringing down 12 rebounds, including five offensive boards. Smith Jr. played an important role as a reserve for the second-straight contest with eight points, including two treys to go with four rebounds and three assists in 21 minutes.

Stats of Note

The Hornets outscored the Suns by 20 in the second quarter, their best differential in any frame this season. Charlotte won the quarter 37-17… The Hornets set a season high with 26 free throws made and collected a season-best 59 rebounds… Charlotte’s 26-4 advantage in fastbreak points was its second-best edge in a game this season (23, 27-4 vs. Cleveland, Dec. 7).

Postgame Quote

“Really happy for the guys. Like I said, they come into work every day. Whether we win, we come in and we work. We lose, we come in and we work. We truly have a group – from the players to the staff, front office, literally everyone – that is obsessed with daily improvement. It’s a joy to come into work. I’m happy for them because they’ve stuck with it, stuck with each other through some adversity. I think this shows what we’re capable of. We have enough in that locker room when it comes to talent. We have enough in that locker room when it comes to competitiveness. We just have to sustain it for four quarters. We did that tonight, and we need to continue to just stack good days over good days, and we’ll come out on the other side of all of it.”

Hornets Head Coach Charles Lee

What’s Next?

Charlotte opens a 5-game, 10-day road trip at 10:30 PM (EST) on Thursday in Los Angeles against the Lakers. Watch on the FanDuel Sports Network and listen on WFNZ 92.7 FM or on the Hornets App.

Get Your Miller Bobblehead

The Hornets will return home to take on the Dallas Mavericks in an MLK Jr. Day Matinee at 12 PM on Monday, January 20 at Spectrum Center. The first 5,000 in attendance will receive a free Brandon Miller Bobblehead! Get your tickets now!