20+ Point Nights from Ball and Bridges in Returns, 52 from Reserves Key Victory

LaMelo Ball, Miles Bridges and Seth Curry all missed Friday’s contest against Portland, but made emphatic statements in their returns, as the three combined for 63 points to earn the Hornets their biggest victory of the season, 123-92, over New Orleans on 704 Night presented by Ally on Saturday at Spectrum Center. The Hornets moved to 12-30 overall and 8-14 on their homecourt in the second game of a nine-game homestand. 

Top Performers 

Ball returned from a right wrist sprain to lead the Hornets with 25 points to go with a game-high seven assists, five rebounds and two steals. He has now scored 20+ points in 11-straight games, including three 30+ point games.

Bridges was back after missing Friday’s contest with a lower back issue and didn’t look to be slowed on either end of the court. He finished with 22 points on an efficient 8-of-13 (61.5 percent) shooting, nabbed six rebounds, handed out three assists and blocked a shot. He has scored 20+ points in eight of his last 11 appearances, including a 31-point game against Chicago on Dec. 30. 

Curry fought through a right ankle injury on Friday and returned to lead the Hornets bench brigade with 16 points on 6-of-9 (66.7 percent) shooting from the field, including 4-of-6 (66.7 percent) from long range. He also grabbed four rebounds and finished with two assists.

Zion Williamson returned to the starting lineup after missing New Orleans last two games. He scored a game-high 28 points and notched a double-double with 11 boards.

Turning Point 

After trading buckets through the first seven minutes of the first quarter, the Hornets found themselves trailing, 15-12, but dominated the final five minutes of the frame, closing the half on a 19-8 run to take a 31-23 lead at half. The bench was the highlight for Charlotte in the decisive run as 12 of the 19 points came from a barrage of treys off the bench. Seth Curry connected on two 3’s in the run, while Josh Okogie, DaQuan Jeffries and Vasa Micic each connected on a shot from outside the arc.

Miles Extends Cushion for Charlotte

Following the 19-8 run to push the lead to nine points after one, Bridges took over, scoring on all levels in the second stanza. First he drove the paint and connected inside, hit a 3-pointer, drained a free throw and finished with a left-handed layup that pushed Charlotte’s lead to 43-29 in the first four minutes of the second frame. It was a double-digit lead the Hornets would maintain throughout the contest on the way to their 12^th win of the season.

How About that Bench?

Charlotte’s bench overpowered the Pelicans reserves all night long and finished the night with an amazing 52-13 advantage in bench scoring. Curry led the way for Charlotte, followed by Vasa Micic in double-figure scoring with 11 points. Moussa Diabate narrowly missed a double-double with nine points and a game-high 13 rebounds. Curry (four), Micic (three), DaQuan Jeffries (two), Josh Okogie (one) and Isaiah Wong (one) all connected on at least one trey off the bench, as the Hornets tied a franchise-record (done twice before) with nine players with at least one 3-pointer. Ball (four), Josh Green (three), Bridges (two) and Nick Smith Jr. all had at least one in the starting lineup. Charlotte finished with a season-high 21 3-pointers.

Taj Steps In

Taj Gibson stepped into starting lineup after playing just 15 total minutes in January, with his last appearance coming on Jan. 15 in Utah. After scoring just one point this month, Gibson scored six points on 2-of-3 shooting from the field and went 2-of-2 at the free-throw line. Gibson also brought down three rebounds and had two assists in 12 minutes as a starter. His last appearance of 10+ minutes came on Dec. 7, 2024 against Cleveland. 

Postgame Quote 

“It’s been a great boost for our team. I think all year, the bench at different moments has had to step up, and I thought they gave us a really good boost today. Vasa [Micic] kind of running the show and you got to see some of his creativity and behind-the-back passes. Moussa [Diabate] coming off the bench and being ready when Taj [Gibson] picked up those two early fouls. I thought Josh Okogie was really good. Every night, you never know whose opportunity it’s going to be to step up and maybe have to play a bigger role, but all those guys are very capable and they’re all so competitive, too. It was really good to see them all have some success tonight and help us.” – Hornets Head Coach Charles Lee

What’s Next? 

Charlotte’s franchise-record nine-game homestand continues on Monday with a matchup against the Los Angeles Lakers. Watch the game on the FanDuel Sports Network, and we’re back on Over-the Air Television! Check the channel listing now - https://www.nba.com/hornets/hornets-over-the-air-television-schedule. You can also listen on WFNZ 92.7 FM.