Charlotte Hornets forward Brandon Miller and his foundation provided local Concord, NC families with an early Christmas celebration on Tuesday, December 16, 2025 at the Boys & Girls Club in Cabarrus. By Jeff Siner
With a brief mini-break in the rearview mirror, the Charlotte Hornets got back to action Thursday night, taking on one of their nemeses in the Southeast Division.
Maybe they should petition the NBA for that much time off again.
Buoyed by having the services of LaMelo Ball available for the first time in three games, the Hornets rode an emotional wave they generated from the opening tip of a spirited 133-126 victory over the Atlanta Hawks at Spectrum Center.
Here are some key takeaways from the Hornets’ second straight win:
Charlotte Hornets guard LaMelo Ball (1) shoots over Atlanta Hawks forward Asa Newell during the first half of the game on Dec. 18, 2025, in Charlotte, North Carolina. Matt Kelley For the Observer
LaMelo knocks off rust in return
Ball put together one of his most complete efforts of the season, particularly offensively, and it wasn’t even close.
Entering the night with his shooting percentages way below his career mark — the star point guard had made 38.6% of his overall attempts and 28.5% from 3-point range — Ball’s stroke was on from the get-go against the Hawks.
He netted six of his initial nine attempts, with all those makes coming beyond the arc, and registered 21 first-half points en route to posting 28 points to go along with 13 assists and four rebounds. He had two huge driving layups in the closing two minutes, helping the Hornets hold onto their advantage, before sealing it with a 31-footer that send the bulk of the 16,124 in attendance into a frenzy.
Apparently, the week-plus Ball had rehabbing his injury was beneficial.
“He’s responded well so far to the practices and the increased workload in practice, and (going through) contact and all of that stuff,” coach Charles Lee said. “I just want to make sure I’m putting him in the best position to maximize his availability. … I do want to be mindful of what kind of stints we’re throwing him out there for.
“I want him to be as competitive as possible, and sometimes when you’re coming back after missing some games, your wind isn’t where it should be. So, I want him to be able to compete and feel good.”
Offensive outburst
In building up one of their largest leads of the season, and evoking shades of their Oct. 22 opener when they blew away the Brooklyn Nets by 19 points, the Hornets nearly cut down the arena nets with their sharpshooting.
Charlotte Hornets forward Brandon Miller (24) looks on during the first half of Thursday’s game against the Atlanta Hawks in Charlotte, North Carolina. Matt Kelley For the Observer
Charlotte amassed 18 of its 24 total made 3-pointers in the opening two quarters, which fueled an 80-point first half. That mark was only four points off the franchise record for first-half points.
Getting out in transition was also key for the Hornets, who chalked up 20 fast-break points — with 17 coming in the first half. They picked apart the Hawks’ porous defense, carving them up in a variety of ways.
Kon Knueppel ‘impressive’
The love for Kon Knuppel seems to increase with every home game.
Cheers for Knueppel during introductions trail only Ball and Miller in terms of loudness, and whenever the rookie raises up and lines up a jump shot behind the 3-point arc, the crowd anticipates it’s going in.
And why shouldn’t it?
Knueppel’s numbers are off the charts. He’s nailed more than 47% of his attempts, drained 45% from 3-point land and canned 92.1% of his free throws.
“No, it’s been impressive,” Lee said. “I’ve been with a couple of guys that have been striving toward that during the season, during my time in Milwaukee and Boston, the time that those guys put in and the quality that they were able to create to put themselves in position to have such high field goal percentages, it’s impressive.
“So, for a young player at his age in your first year in the NBA to be able to do that, just shows the type of maturity that he has, the awareness of the shots that we need him to take, the shots we think the team needs to take. And so I’ve been really impressed with that and just his overall growth.”