Bridges Hits Game-Winning 3 with 1.4 Seconds Remaining

By Matt Rochinski

The Charlotte Hornets ended their historic nine-game homestand in dramatic fashion on Friday at Spectrum Center, getting a game-winning 3-pointer from Miles Bridges in the final moments off a feed from the returning LaMelo Ball, as the Hornets came away with the 117-116 victory to end their six-game skid.

Top Performers

Bridges scored a team-high 25 points on 10-of-18 shooting (55.6 percent) from the field, including 3-of-6 (50.0 percent) from outside the arc, including his game-winning trey. He added seven rebounds, two assists, a steal and a block in 35 minutes. Bridges streak of 20+ games ended at 28 games on Wednesday against Milwaukee, but a new streak might have just begun against the Spurs.

Ball returned to the starting lineup after missing the last five games with a left ankle sprain suffered on January 27 against the Los Angeles Lakers and showed no signs of rust, finishing with 24 points, including four 3-pointers, to go with 10 assists and four rebounds. It was Ball’s ninth double-double of the season.

Rookie Stephon Castle came off the bench to score a career-best 33 points, while Victor Wembanyama recorded a double-double with 16 points and 11 rebounds.

Turning Point

The Hornets held the lead for much of this one, but De’Aaron Fox’s  jumper from inside the arc with 7.9 seconds remaining gave San Antonio a 116-114 lead – their first since scoring the game’s first bucket to go up, 2-0.  With the game on the line, Seth Curry was able to get the inbounds pass to Ball, who drove the lane on the right side only to see two Spurs converge on him. Instead of forcing a last-second shot, Ball found Bridges in the left corner on a wraparound feed, and Bridges drained the corner 3 with 1.4 ticks left to put Charlotte ahead, 117-116. Fox got one last look, but what could have been his game-winning shot left his hand after the final buzzer as the Hornets got the win at Spectrum Center.

Hot Start for Hornets

Charlotte got off to the start it had been looking for on both ends of the floor during its nine-game homestand, pairing hot shooting with lockdown defense to jump out to a 29-10 lead before finishing the quarter up, 34-22, on the Spurs. With Ball back in the starting lineup, Charlotte used a surprising tactic, consistently attacking the paint with 7-3 Victor Wembanyama lurking in the game’s first 12 minutes. Ball (nine points) and rookie KJ Simpson (10 points on 4-of-4 shooting off the bench)  led the way for the Hornets as they outscored San Antonio, 18-10 in the paint and held an 11-2 advantage in second-chance points after outrebounding the Spurs, 15-10, including 5-3 on the offensive glass. This time, it was Charlotte that set the tone early and left San Antonio chasing points the rest of the night on the way to a Hornets win.

Sparse Lineup Steps Up After Trade Deadline

With Josh Green (right calf tightness) joining Brandon Miller (right wrist), Cody Martin (Sports Hernia), Tre Mann (disc irritation), Josh Okogie (left hamstring strain) and Grant Williams (right ACL) on the sidelines and Dalton Knecht and Jusef Nurkic not yet available, the Hornets had 10 healthy bodies and started their 24^th different lineup of the season. Ball returned from a left ankle sprain and joined Nick Smith Jr., DaQuan Jeffries, Bridges and Moussa Diabate in the starting lineup. Smith Jr. scored 19 points, and rookie KJ Simpson and Curry came off the bench to score 12 points apiece. All nine Hornets who played grabbed at least three rebounds in a team effort on the boards led by Moussa Diabate (Nine points, 15 rebounds, career-high six assists). Charlotte outrebounded the Spurs, 53-38, and held a 27-9 advantage in second-chance points.

Payton Added on 10-Day

After making two deals at the NBA Trade Deadline on Thursday, the Hornets were still making moves with the signing of free agent guard Elfrid Payton to a 10-day contract on Friday morning. Payton appeared in seven contests (three starts) for the New Orleans Pelicans this season, recording 6.7 points, 3.4 rebounds, 6.9 assists and 1.4 steals in 20.6 minutes per game. He dished a career-high 21 assists at Indiana (Nov. 25), the second-most in a game by any player this year (22, Trae Young). Payton has suited up for the Orlando Magic, Phoenix Suns, New York Knicks and Pelicans throughout his nine-year career, averaging 10.0 points, 4.0 rebounds, 5.8 assists and 1.2 steals across 507 outings (398 starts).

Postgame Quote

“It was a great team effort by everyone in the locker room, everyone that played tonight. It was good to get ‘Melo (Ball) back. I think that we just see what he adds to our group offensively. That play at the end of the game where he just continues to trust the pass, trust his teammates, make the right play, take what the game gives you. Really good to see him back out there finding his rhythm, finding his groove… I would also highlight Miles (Bridges). I think that he just continues to impact winning throughout the whole game… Just really proud of the effort he is making on both ends of the court, and then also off the court with his vocal leadership.”– Hornets Head Coach Charles Lee

What’s Next?

Charlotte tips off a three-game road trip before the All-Star Break with a 1PM matchup on Sunday in Detroit. Watch the game on the FanDuel Sports Network or listen on WFNZ 92.7 FM.