Understanding it was the final appearance together before Christmas and knowing they wouldn’t see each other for at least 24 hours, the Charlotte Hornets still weren’t in the gift-giving mood Tuesday night.
Instead, they doled out a lump of coal to the Washington Wizards.
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After turning the ball over far too often in their previous two games, leading to losses, the Hornets took much better care of it against the Wizards. They rode the coattails of an efficient second half fueled offensively by star guard LaMelo Ball and committed a season-low five turnovers, upending Washington 126-109 at Spectrum Center.
With only two days left until Christmas, a young Hornets fan holds a homemade “Merry Swishmas” sign during the game against the Wizards on Tuesday at Spectrum Center. Hornets fans received an early gift with a 126-109 win over the Wizards.
“We played a couple of physical teams the last two games, and I thought we kind of got knocked back by their physicality,” Kon Knueppel said. “I wouldn’t say the Wizards play as physical as the Detroit Pistons or the (Cleveland) Cavs, but I also just thought that we did a good job of playing at our pace and making smarter decisions with the basketball.
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“Obviously five total turnovers, it’s pretty good. So we’ll live with that.”
Break up the Hornets, who’re now immersed in their most impressive stretch of the season. They’ve won half of their past dozen games and are creeping up in the Eastern Conference standings, elevating to 12th place. That leaves them currently 3.5 games behind the final play-in tournament spot currently occupied by the Chicago Bulls.
“Yeah, we’re just going to take one game at a time, compete and try to get a win every night,” Knueppel said. “And going forward, I think if we play our brand of basketball and play the way we want to play, we’re going to have a good chance to do that.”
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Exactly what’s gotten into the Hornets (10-20) of late? Their head coach has his reasoning.
“I think some of it’s our defensive intensity,” Hornets coach Charles Lee said. “I feel like our defensive continues to get better. The games that we win, our defensive rating is usually in a really good spot. And then offensive, I feel like ever since the game at Brooklyn, we’ve done such a better job of trusting the pass, playing the pass.
“I come up here a lot of games now and I’m talking about how many assists we had on how we made field goals. And it’s a testament to our overall pace. But also guys getting out of screens, our execution in the half court and our execution in the early offense is really good.”
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Here are some of the key takeaways from the Hornets’ third win in their past five games:
Welcome back Collin Sexton
That revolving door remains ajar.
Keeping in tune with the usual theme, the Hornets welcomed back one face while having to see another planted on the bench in street clothes — Ryan Kalkbrenner — due to injury. Collin Sexton hadn’t played since coming up gimpy in New York during their Dec. 3 loss to the Knicks, nursing a left quadriceps strain.
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Although no one sounded the proverbial alarm at the time, Sexton wound up being sidelined for seven games, putting a dent in the Hornets’ guard depth. But Lee finally had him at his disposal again, summoning the eighth-year pro into the rotation in the first quarter after initially going to Tre Mann to spell Ball.
Hornets guard Collin Sexton loses control of the ball while driving to the basket during the game against the Wizards on Tuesday at Spectrum Center.
Sexton’s numbers in his return won’t blow anyone away — he posted 12 points in 16 minutes — but his imprint can’t always be measured in statistics.
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“Just his overall energy and his passion for the game,” Lee said. “We always talk a ton around here about competing and what that looks like. And you can compete in a lot of different ways, but Colin just never stops. I think defensively and offensively, he’s always thinking about how can I win every possession and how can I be impactful in every possession.
“I love the boost that he gave us from a spirit and a competitiveness standpoint. Defensively, he crawls up into guys. He gets a deflection on like one of his first defensive plays where he’s about to blow up a screen, which really helped us because I thought their off ball movement was hurting us a bit.”
Assessing Brandon Miller’s production
Worried about Brandon Miller’s shooting percentage? Lee isn’t
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.Despite Miller knocking down only 38.8% overall and 32.7% from 3-point land, the concern level remains low. Miller, who went 8-for-16 against the Wizards, hit half of his attempts or better in two of his previous five games.
It’s a small sign of progress.
“I would say some of the shooting numbers will improve with more time back at the on the court,” Lee said. “I do think sometimes he’s had some shots that are short, which just shows me some of that’s your conditioning and how you’re coming back to the rhythm of the game, having to play intense defense. I think that he has stepped up his defensive mindset, wanting to take on some of the better matchups of the other team.
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“I think that we’re seeing his legs get up underneath him. He’s been scoring at a lot higher clip and I think that offensively I’ve just seen him actually develop a more all-around game. We know how much he can score. I’ve been really impressed with how much he’s been passing and finding guys and picking roles or finding guys on his drives and then he’s had some explosive finishes at the rim that show that he’s starting to find his rhythm.”
Hornets guard LaMelo Ball is held back by a teammate as he reacts after being pushed off the court by Wizards’ guard Kyshawn George during Tuesday’s game at Spectrum Center.
Ryan Kalkbrenner not center of attention
That’s two straight games missed by Kalkbrenner. The rookie center had been available for all but one outing prior to sitting out the Hornets’ last two matchups, so he’s really hurting.
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Originally listed as questionable against the Wizards before being downgraded two hours prior to tipoff, Kalkbrenner is dealing with a sprained left elbow. His status for Friday’s game in Orlando is uncertain.
“Just obviously got back late (Monday) night and so (Tuesday) was another day for him to come in and get some evaluation and treatment,” Lee said. “Sounds like he’s still just trying to figure out what the plan is going to be for him to return to play. I think after (Tuesday), we’ll have a little bit of a clearer idea of what’s going on with him.”