The San Antonio Spurs came up short to the blossoming Hornets in the matinee game in Charlotte. It was all gas and no brakes early as the Spurs countered the rebounding, pace and LaMelo Ball’s flurry with six 3-pointers, eight fast break points plus the bench added a cushion. They also got some help from Charlotte’s six turnovers, ending the first quarter ahead by four points.
The 3-point shooting came to a crashing halt, missing all seven attempts, while the hosts ran lots of motion. Collin Sexton was their next man to erupt, scoring 10 points in the second quarter, and then Brandon Miller turned into a supernova, pouring in 16, pushing them to a 14-point lead after it was tied with three minutes left in the half.
The Spurs subsequently came out of intermission with little to offer against Charlotte’s paint pressure. They also couldn’t cut the deficit closer than nine points going into the fourth quarter because their turnovers turned into points for the other side. The poor 3-point defense that followed, in combination with getting beat on second attempts, had them looking in bad shape on the ropes until Stephon Castle’s late scoring inspired the team, and they cut the deficit to two, forcing the Hornets to call timeout with five minutes left.
They followed up getting beat to the inside thrice, missed four critical shots and committed the cardinal sin of fouling Miles Bridges on a 3-point attempt. It was curtains after that.
* It takes a bit of an adjustment for players to get comfortable in a matinee game because sometimes the shoot-around or practice is around that time, and these are creatures of routine. The Spurs were affected, being a step behind on defense for most of the game.
* Harrison was with the second unit for the first time in 10 years, since he was a Golden State Warrior, and he got hot late when the team badly needed a spark. Unfortunately, after he helped lead the Spurs charge back in the fourth quarter, he was the one who committed that fateful foul on Bridges late.
* The Hornets came into the game on a five-game win streak and surged in January with two other quality wins over the Oklahoma City Thunder and Los Angeles Lakers. Charlotte has been the top team in rebounding percentage over that span and it was no different Saturday, being the nastier team in the trenches. Charlotte has a 15-point rebounding edge and scored 14 extra second-chance points. Additionally, it was too hard for them to recover from Charlotte more than doubling their points in the second quarter. Consider that San Antonio outscored them in the other three.
* Kon Knueppel has been no lower than the second-best rookie this season, and the Spurs made it harder for him to get separation on the dribble. All the attention on him and Ball made it easier for Miller to get loose on curling sets and after setting screens. Furthermore, the Hornets made 23 shots in the lane, and most of those belonged to Moussa Diabaté.
* Dylan Harper created havoc and was the team’s leading bench scorer, hitting jumpers and attacking the lane. He was arguably the team’s best player in the first half, and it felt like a sneak peek of the future.
* Victor Wembanyama had a bad game, being unable to establish himself in the lane, and most of his jumpers were off target. It was also his fourth game of the year without a block.
See More:
* [Spurs Game Recaps](/game-recaps)
* [Spurs Scores](/spurs-scores-results)
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