LaMelo Ball had a 30 point double double, Coby White added 24 points off the bench, and the Charlotte Hornets dominated the fourth quarter en route to a win over the Miami Heat, 136-106.
The Summary
It wasn’t the most visually appealing start to a basketball game. The Hornets had to overcome a tough whistle and their own sloppy early play, but their defense picked them up and gave them a modest early lead. Both teams found a little jolt of offense at the same time near the end of the first to make the score look somewhat normal, with the Hornets holding a two point lead after one. Keshad Johnson had a little breakout at the start of the second, prompting fears that the Hornets were going to be victimized by another big night from a role player, but he cooled off relatively quickly. The teams traded punches throughout the second quarter and ended the quarter with the same two point separation they started the quarter with.
The Hornets scored the first seven points of the second half to create a little bit of cushion. Both Brandon Miller and Kon Knueppel got called for their fourth personal fouls just over four minutes into the half, but all that did was make room for Coby White. He and LaMelo shared the floor for more minutes than usual, and the duo were able to head off any push the Heat tried to make. White then went nuclear later in the quarter and helped the home team out to a double digit lead. A little kerfuffle between Tyler Herro and Josh Green was resulted in both a personal and technical foul on Green. Herro’s free throws made it a five point game before Miles Bridges hit a three to return it to an eight point game heading in to the final frame.
Charles Lee made the interesting decision to start the fourth quarter with all of his starters while the Heat trotted out a mostly bench unit, and it worked to perfection. LaMelo took over the first few minutes and threw in a wild and-1 as part of that. Meanwhile the Heat started unraveling on both sides of the ball. They had a slew of bad offensive possessions and somehow left Knueppel alone unguarded after a dead ball turnover. Brandon Miller chipped in a couple of threes and it was suddenly a laugher of a ball game.
The Good
The fouls were a problem, but on the whole, the Hornets played a terrific game on the defensive side of the floor. Call it the Pistons model. They forced 11 live ball turnovers and did not allow the Heat any easy looks at all. There was always help waiting in front of the basket, forcing Miami into a lot of awkward runners and layups in traffic. They limited the Heat to an offensive rating of just 99.1, which was one of their worst offensive outputs of the season.
LaMelo Ball had a phenomenal stat line, but it still probably understates how well he played. He had full control of the game and put on a virtuoso performance as a ball handler. He frequently split defenders in screen and roll situations and diced up the Heat’s zone defense in the second half. It was an elite all around point guard performance. And ever the showman, he even registered a steal while sitting on the floor after attempting to grab an offensive rebound.
Coby White continued his ascent out of the funk he had been in. The third quarter in particular showed how explosive he can be when gets going. He was unguardable in the second half. If he plays like this off the bench, the Hornets are going to be hard for any team to stop.
Kon Knueppel dealt with foul trouble and seemed relatively quiet throughout the night but somehow still finished with 22 points. I know we’ve been belaboring this point all season, but it’s unheard of for a rookie to so seamlessly put up points and contribute to winning.
The Bad
I’ve talked about this at different points throughout the season, but the NBA really needs to look at how they officiate offensive players clearly hunting for fouls. On one of the first possessions of the game, Kon Knueppel was retreating while Tyler Herro was coming at him downhill. Herro bulldozed straight into Knueppel and thrashed his arm while flinging the ball vaguely in the direction of the rim. I don’t know how else Knueppel is supposed to defend that besides literally running away from Herro. And that far from the only instance of that. Players shouldn’t be rewarded for making plays like that. And all the fouls made for a game that took about two-and-a-half hours despite it being a blowout in the fourth quarter.
Moussa Diabate had to leave the game in the fourth quarter with what looked like a left hand or left wrist injury. We’ll have to keep an ear out for what that was. Hopefully it’s nothing serious.
What’s Next
That’s a big win for the Hornets, who exorcise one of their bigger demons in the Heat. They inch closer to a better play-in spot, and can do so again when they host the Magic on Dell Curry night on Thursday.