LaMelo Ball turned in a monstrous triple double as the Charlotte Hornets used an explosive second half to defeat the Washington Wizards.
Things didn’t look promising in the first half. The Hornets couldn’t buy a bucket especially from deep, which helped the Wizards turn a competitive game into a modest lead. Alex Sarr, clearly motivated by me calling him pretty much irrelevant [in the preview](https://atthehive.com/2025/10/26/charlotte-hornets-vs-washington-wizards-preview-game-3/), put up 17 in the first half alone including an awkward off balance jumper at the halftime horn. That bucket put the Wizards up double figures.
The game made a complete 180 during the intermission. Kon Knueppel helped jumpstart the offense with a driving layup and a couple of 3-pointers early in the third quarter. That got the whole offense feeling frisky with LaMelo Ball leading the charge. Knueppel’s Duke teammate Sion James joined the fun with a couple of spot up looks and a steal and slam that was handed to him by Kyshawn George. While the offense was rolling, the Wizards desperately tried to hang on, but an onslaught of threes in the middle part of the fourth helped the Hornets run away and hide. In all, the Hornets put up 88 points in the second half, which is generally going to be enough to win a basketball game.
LaMelo Ball was unreal. He finished with 38 points, 13 assists, 13 rebounds, and 3 steals. He broke down the Wizards defense at will finishing with his trademark floaters or whipping passes out to shooters on the perimeter. He had the Wizards broadcast team shaking their heads at the display they were witnessing. It’s hard for a player to play a better game.
The assist that sealed LaMelo’s triple double was one of the highlights of the season thus far.
Bridges, Collin Sexton, and Kon Knueppel all added 20-something point games. There are so many angles that the Hornets can attack from. A healthy version of this team should always be able to put up points.
Knueppel is getting more aggressive game over game. He come out of halftime hunting his shot. He drove against pressure for a layup and then had two quick trigger threes. He’s now 11-of-19 from three to start his career.
Sion James has been such a find. I don’t think there were many expectations for him from the fan base, and he was probably the least whelming of the four draft picks the Hornets made, but he’s definitely earning himself a lot of favor. He makes his presence felt on both sides of the ball, which we knew he could do. His scoring and spot up shooting has been better than advertised so far though.
The Hornets finally made their free throws.
Tre Mann was blanked in 12 minutes of action. He’s looked very out of sorts the last two games, struggling to pick his spots without forcing the issue when it’s not there. I’m sure there’s some rust with all the time he’s missed, so I don’t think it’s anything to worry about.
The Hornets have one game left on this mini-road trip. They’ll face the Heat on Tuesday.
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