Brandon Miller scored 26, Collin Sexton added 21 off the bench, and the Charlotte Hornets beat the Spurs for their first six game win streak in nearly a decade.
The Summary
The Hornets were much, much better to start this game than the last time they played a nationally televised game. They trade baskets with the Spurs in what was a very well played first quarter. LaMelo Ball made a couple threes. Kon Knueppel made a couple layups. Brandon Miller had some struggles and the Spurs wouldn’t miss from three, so the visitors held a four point lead after one.
The shots stopped falling for both teams in the second quarter. Miller and Knueppel added enough offense to the Hornets’ stingy defense to take the lead before Miller had his typical explosion. He hit back to back threes over Wemby, the second of which was while being fouled by the Frenchman. He added one more as part of a 20-4 run to close the half that put the Hornets up 14.
Miller made a couple of circus shots early in the half, but they were canceled out by a Spurs run in the middle of the quarter. The Hornets couldn’t get any of their threes to drop, but they made enough shots inside the arc to keep the Spurs at arm’s length. The lead was 10 heading into the fourth.
Threes by Collin Sexton and Grant Williams helped the Hornets hold their lead, but Harrison Barnes answered with a pair of his own. Charles Lee responded by getting his starters back in the game, but they couldn’t quell the Spurs run. The margin got narrowed to a single possession, setting up another showdown finish against a Texas team.
The teams traded body punches before the game took a weird run in the final minute. Miles Bridges attempted a three and was hit on the arm. The Spurs called a timeout to challenge, but it was after Bridges had received the ball, so it was deemed too late. Bridges made all the free throws. After a pair of Barnes free throws, the Spurs were called for a second straight foul on a three, this time on Miller. Mitch Johnson challenged again, this time on time, and got the call reversed. Victor Wembanyama fired up a quick three after the ensuing jump ball, and the Hornets secured the rebound. Miller hit a pair of free throws to ice it.
The Good
Look at these guys go. The Hornets are now 11-1 with their preferred starting lineup. The Spurs were the two seed in the West coming into this game, and the Hornets looked like they were pretty evenly matched. They played well on both sides of the ball and really look like a genuinely good team. Their game plan execution has been so good. They sagged off the Spurs weaker shooters on the perimeter and put a lot of bodies in front of Wemby. They made the supporting cast take on a larger burden than normal, and it worked.
Just look at this basketball.
Brandon Miller continued his ascent into superstardom. He looked very bothered by the Spurs length and physicality in the first quarter, but he found his groove in the second quarter and didn’t look back. He’s pretty much unguardable when he gets going. He played way better than his final shooting line would suggest.
LaMelo Ball nearly had a triple double. His shooting percentage was a result of tough shots and the end of shot clocks more than bad shot selection. His command of the game was fantastic, and his ability to beat the Spurs off the dribble was massive in a game where the Hornets generally struggled to do that.
Collin Sexton had been quiet for a while, but he showed up on the big stage. The Hornets bench has had problems generating offense at times, and that had the potential to be a big problem against such a physical Spurs team. Sexton took it upon himself to carry that offensive burden. He only missed one shot, and I think it was technically blocked, and there was a lot of contact. He made five triples and did a bunch of his damage in the second half when the Spurs were chipping away at the Hornets’ lead.
The Bad
I was going to put Knueppel and Diabate in here because they had times it looked like they were struggling, but then you look at how they finished and you realize how high they’ve set the bar for themselves. Knueppel finsihed 12/6/4 and Diabate had a double double and six assists. I thought Diabate was too passive at times because he was worried about Wemby lurking, but he made it work.
What’s Next
The Hornets will enjoy snowy Charlotte for a couple days before hosting a struggling Pelicans team in a must win trap game.