Sometimes a win can be just as frustrating as a loss. This was a game the Charlotte Hornets had in their control for most of the first half, but early in the second half they lost focus. Bad defensive coverages, poor shot selection, turnovers; you name it, Charlotte did it to allow the Lakers to steal this game. Malik Monk, Anthony Davis and LeBron James did not play. Charlotte was also without some of their key contributors in Kelly Oubre, who was out with an ankle sprain, and Gordon Hayward who is in health and safety protocols. Charlotte is a young team and a game like this is part of the process of growing up. The Hornets must put teams away in matchups they should win comfortably. Fortunately, the Hornets held on and improved their record to 28-22 on the season. Here are some observations from Charlotte’s 117-114 win over the Lakers.
Ish Smith Steps Up:
The Hornets’ play was unsteady for a good portion of this game, but Ish Smith was outstanding off the bench. In 26 minutes Ish scored 22 points and had five assists. He made some big shots in the 4th quarter when it seemed like the game could go the Lakers way. His presence was needed off the bench as the Hornets went only eight deep tonight.
Composure:
Charlotte would take a 16-point lead into halftime and push their lead out to 20 with a little over nine minutes remaining in the 3rd quarter. From there, Charlotte let the Lakers back into the game with a lack of focus – especially on the defensive end. Lakers’ guard Austin Reeves was open several times for three-pointers on blown rotations. Russell Westbrook was able to drive to the basket and get to the rim at will. In the 4th quarter Charlotte had a 10-point lead with six minutes left, but began to take poor shots. Los Angeles cut the lead to four before a Rozier three point pushed the lead out to seven. Then Miles Bridges made an and-one layup to put the Hornets up by nine with 2:37 to go. Westbrook almost brought the Lakers back – hitting two straight threes, but his shot to tie the game missed and the Hornets were able to hold on. Charlotte won’t be able to get away with some of the questionable shot selection and poor defense against better teams and were fortunate this Lakers squad wasn’t at full strength tonight. It was inexcusable that this short-handed LA team was able to score 36 points in the 3rd quarter.
Miles Shines on the National Stage:
Miles Bridges was solid tonight with 26 points on 9-15 shooting, while also grabbing eight rebounds and six assists. I’m not sure if Miles Bridges will be selected as an All-Star reserve, but he should be getting strong consideration. Miles is averaging 20 points, seven rebounds and shooting 49% from the floor this season. The Most Improved Player award could come down to Miles Bridges, Jordan Poole and Ja Morant. Miles is worthy of that award and the big payday coming his way this offseason.
The Hornets take on the Clippers on Sunday. The Clippers don’t have Kawhi Leonard or Paul George, but they aren’t a team you can sleep on. Ty Lue has the Clippers as the 7th seed in the west currently. They’re a team that plays hard, so Charlotte will have to learn from tonight’s game and play with 48 minutes of focus.