The Charlotte Hornets suffered a blowout loss Tuesday night at the hands of their Southeast Division rivals, the Miami Heat. Apart from a competitive opening quarter — which saw Charlotte trailing just 37-34 — the rest of the game was one-sided. Miami outscored the Hornets in every period, including by 13 in the second quarter and 10 in the fourth, en route to a convincing 27-point win.
LaMelo Ball delivered another near triple-double performance, finishing with 20 points, eight rebounds and nine assists. Collin Sexton added 18 points, five rebounds and six assists on 7-for-11 shooting, while rookie Kon Knueppel continued his impressive start to the season with 19 points, four assists and three rebounds.
However, guard Tre Mann had a game to forget. Mann scored just eight points on 3-for-15 shooting, turning the ball over three times and posting a team-worst plus-minus of minus-31. While he contributed five assists, three rebounds and two steals, his inefficiency proved costly as Miami built a sizable lead.
Mann’s slow start has been a concern for Charlotte. Through the first four games, he is averaging six points and 3.2 assists in 18 minutes per game — a significant drop-off from last season’s 14.1 points per game off the bench in a limited 13-game sample.
The Hornets will look to regroup at home when they face the Orlando Magic on Thursday, followed by a matchup against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Saturday at the Spectrum Center.
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