Hornets reporter Rod Boone delivers content you can't get anywhere else, from deep-dive analysis of the young core to the latest locker room buzz. A Charlotte Observer subscription gives you the best access to breaking news and exclusive player interviews. By DIAMOND VENCES
If shuffling things is bothering Charles Lee, he’s doing a good job of masking his feelings.
“Yeah, we love it,” the Charlotte Hornets coach said. “It doesn’t affect us negatively at all. I think with our players, with our staff, we just talk about being flexible, being open-minded, having to adjust.”
There wasn’t much of a choice.
With Mother Nature flexing her power yet again, dumping several inches of snow on the region, the Hornets were forced to alter their original game time at Spectrum Center for the third straight outing. Looks like it may be in their best interest to keep pushing up their tipoff times by at least three hours.
Unbothered by a noon start as opposed to things commencing at 3 p.m. as originally scheduled, the Hornets rode a brilliant second quarter highlighted by Brandon Miller’s flamethrowing shooting and powered past the San Antonio Spurs 111-106 on Saturday.
“Just finding a way,” Miller said. “We know we’re prepared, we know who’s coming in. And I think we have the right mindset of just mounting in and locking in, even with the early games.
We know it’s going to be a little quiet in the arena sometimes this early, but we’ve just got to make our way.”
Thanks to the game being on Amazon Prime, a national television audience got to witness something that hadn’t happened since 2015-16. That’s the last season the Hornets won six games in a row, which fully shows the kind of run they are on.
“We’re coming,” Collin Sexton said. “It’s going to take an everyday process. It’s not going to happen overnight. It’s not going to be something that just is a drastic change. You have to take baby steps, and I feel like tonight was one of those games that we just dug deep and just continued to fight.
“When they threw their best shot, we threw ours right back, and I felt like we were the more physical team. When we’re the most physical team out there, and we’re not talking to the referees or we’re not complaining about fouls and things like that and we’re just playing, I feel like that’s when we’re at our best.”
Charlotte Hornets guard Collin Sexton celebrates a basket during action against the San Antonio Spurs at Spectrum Center in Charlotte, North Carolina, on Saturday, Jan. 31, 2026. The Hornets defeated the Spurs 111-106. JEFF SINER jsiner@charlotteobserver.com
In finishing the month with an 11-5 record, the Hornets certainly left their mark on the league by compiling the No. 1 net rating (12.8), boasting the top offensive rating at 121.1 and a defense that ranked fourth at 108.3 during January.
Anyway it’s sliced, the Hornets (22-28) have been impressive of late and improved to 7-13 in clutch games — when the score is within five points during the final five minutes — after holding off the Spurs’ fourth-quarter surge. They’ve emerged victorious in their last three clutch games.
“I think that the group is just growing to understand what’s needed from them,” Lee said. “Offensively, what kind of shots do we need to take? The clock management. I feel like it’s getting better and better every game, decision-making. And then defensively, just the wherewithal to understand physicality and what it’s going to take. At the end of the game, the refs aren’t going to cause many of those calls, and you’ve got to be able to play through it.
“You’ve got to bring a level of competitiveness on that end of the floor, too, to finish those possessions. And I think that our group is just starting to grow and understand time, score, physicality and how to make the best decisions to put us in a (good) position.”
In other words, they’re playing unselfishly.
On a team where at least six players can score 20 points on any given night, that’s important, as Sexton can attest.
“Staying together,” Sexton said. “At each timeout, we talk about execute — make sure we execute and make sure we’re aware of the time and score of each possession. When it’s crunch time, we have to make the right plays and not the home run plays.
“And I feel like tonight we did that and we just continued to battle. We continue to battle against a really, really good team. And we’ll continue to fight.”
Here are some key takeaways from the Hornets’ win over San Antonio:
Why Moussa Diabate is starting
Make that 18 straight starts for Moussa Diabate.
Despite Ryan Kalkbrenner being completely healthy after missing 10 games with a left elbow sprain, Diabate remains part of the game-opening unit and recorded his 11th consecutive appearance as the Hornets’ starting center alongside LaMelo Ball, Kon Knueppel, Brandon Miller and Miles Bridges.
And he’s been on a tear lately, posting double figures in five straight games after tossing in 12 points to go with 10 rebounds against San Antonio.
San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama, left and Charlotte Hornets forward/center Moussa Diabate battle each other in the lane on a free throw attempt during Saturday’s action at Spectrum Center. JEFF SINER jsiner@charlotteobserver.com
Diabate has also now registered 13 double-doubles, proving his worth on offense and defense, and it sounds like he’s entrenched in the starting five.
“Yeah, I think that he earned it,” Lee said. “He has shown how much he impacts the game on both ends of the floor, how much he actually really, I think helps … elevate those other guys that are in the starting lineup as well. Defensively he’s been very versatile. I think at first there might have been a thought of being in center field with Ryan gives you a bigger body, somebody to help protect the paint.
“And I think Moose has done it at just as high of a level, even though he gives up some size. Offensively, the pace at which he plays with is right up there where I think like the Melos and Brandons and Kons, they want to play and like the pass aheads, the pass across. Ryan does a great job, too. I just think that his engine’s a little bit different than Moussa’s. So, Moussa’s been able to I think really help explain and create some early advantages for us.”
Kon Knueppel praise
Add Mitch Johnson’s name to the list of those impressed with Kon Knueppel.
The San Antonio coach should be a pretty good judge of talent given he sees Victor Wembanyama daily, and he was also part of the Spurs’ brain trust that selected Dylan Harper two spots ahead of Knueppel in the NBA Draft last June.
San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama, left, throws down a two-handed dunk over Charlotte Hornets forward Kon Knueppel, right, during Saturday’s action at Spectrum Center. JEFF SINER jsiner@charlotteobserver.com
In scouting the Hornets leading into their outing, Johnson noticed more than a few qualities that stood out with the rookie.
“Probably his poise and composure,” Johnson said. “Feels like he’s played in this league for quite some time, which is a really, really rare trait for a rookie and a young player. And I think he’s obviously very skilled and very talented and production’s at a high level.
“But the way he’s going about it feels real and feels like it’s something that’s translatable for years to come. And I think his poise and composure is a big part of that.”