{"id":700916,"date":"2026-04-06T05:54:45","date_gmt":"2026-04-06T05:54:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/700916\/"},"modified":"2026-04-06T05:54:45","modified_gmt":"2026-04-06T05:54:45","slug":"lamelo-ball-powers-hornets-to-key-win-in-nba-playoff-race","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/700916\/","title":{"rendered":"LaMelo Ball powers Hornets to key win in NBA playoff race"},"content":{"rendered":"

Slight concern engulfed Charles Lee leading into the Charlotte Hornets<\/a>\u2019 outing at Target Center on Sunday night.<\/p>\n

Recalling what areas were problematic in their previous matchups against the Minnesota Timberwolves wasn\u2019t all that hard for the Hornets\u2019 coach.<\/p>\n

\u201cEverywhere,\u201d Lee said. \u201cThis team has been a handful for us ever since I\u2019ve been here.\u201d<\/p>\n

Even without injured stars Anthony Edwards and Jaden McDaniels, that was the case again for a half. But the Hornets are a different bunch these days and that was on display in the second half, when they cruised to a 122-108 victory to keep their hopes for their first home postseason game<\/a> since 2016 alive.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur first half, we didn\u2019t do a good job with our physicality,\u201d Miles Bridges said. \u201cI feel like in the second half we picked up our defensive physicality. It got us going on offense, and it just went from there.<\/p>\n

\u201cJust our identity that we have been creating for ourselves.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Miles Miles Bridges of the Charlotte Hornets. Ishika Samant Getty Images <\/p>\n

Charlotte (43-36) remains in eighth place in the Eastern Conference standings, but gained ground on seventh place and trails Toronto by a half game. With three games remaining, the Hornets are a full game ahead of Orlando and 1.5 games in front of 10th-place Miami.<\/p>\n

If they have to go on the road, the Hornets have shown they can get it done there as well. Charlotte has rattled off wins in 14 of its past 16 road dates, and its 22 road victories are the franchise\u2019s most since 2001-02. Eight have been by 25 points or more, tying an NBA record.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe team is making a ton of growth,\u201d Lee said. \u201cYou\u2019ve got to be able to play through physicality and I thought we did it on both ends of the floor. We handled it like a really mature group.\u201d<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s what else the Hornets had to say of note in Minnesota:<\/p>\n

\"LaMelo LaMelo Ball of the Charlotte Hornets. Ishika Samant Getty Images How to keep it going in Boston on Tuesday<\/p>\n

\u201cSame thing \u2014 physicality,\u201d Bridges said. \u201cWe came into their place and beat them, they came into our place and beat us. So we want to return the favor and start getting ready for the playoffs.\u201d<\/p>\n

How players adapt to LaMelo Ball\u2019s passing ability<\/p>\n

\u201cTheir willingness to run the floor,\u201d Lee said. \u201cMelo had that insane pass on the break (Friday) to Kon. So, Kon\u2019s willingness to have an inside eye to be running with purpose is something we\u2019ve talked about a ton. And the guys that are getting to the corner, they are creating windows.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat is another area we\u2019ve gotten better at, where as Melo is driving, as anybody is driving, not just staying still in one spot. Kind of reading where your soft defender is and how can I give a driver a passing window to be able to pass to them. The talent that we have around him is able to finish.\u201d<\/p>\n

How the Hornets\u2019 key bench players affect things<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s just their ability to change the flow of the game,\u201d Lee said. \u201cI think that those guys coming into the game, the defensive intensity goes up another level when you have Sion (James) out there and Grant (Williams) communicating the way he is. The physicality from Sion, and Grant and Ryan (Kalkbrenner) … the same thing.<\/p>\n

\"Coby Coby White of the Charlotte Hornets. Ishika Samant Getty Images <\/p>\n

\u201cYou can hear them constantly during the game yelling out pick-and-roll coverages, and off-ball screens. That defensive side of the ball goes up. Offensively, they all just do a good job of staying within who they are and understanding what their value is in terms of being great connectors.\u201d<\/p>\n

This story was originally published April 5, 2026 at 10:21 PM.<\/p>\n


\n \"Profile
\n <\/a><\/p>\n

Roderick Boone<\/a><\/p>\n

The Charlotte Observer<\/p>\n

Roderick Boone joined the Observer in September 2021 to cover the Charlotte Hornets and NBA. In his more than two decades of writing about the world of sports, he\u2019s chronicled everything from high school rodeo to a major league baseball no-hitter to the Super Bowl to the Finals. The Long Island native has deep North Carolina roots and enjoys watching \u201cThe Fresh Prince of Bel Air\u201d endlessly.
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