The Charlotte Hornets lost a tough one against the Miami Heat 98-94. The Hornets were down by as many as 20 points throughout the game, and it seemed like LaMelo Ball’s hot streak of 30-point games might not be enough to keep things close in the fourth quarter. Yet the run came from their star player despite the deficit, who dropped 17 in the fourth quarter. The rest of his teammates chipped in with big moments as well.
Charles Lee loves the fight and the energy from his group
That run made things tight enough that it was high-level basketball for the final two minutes. It’s safe to say that Hornets head coach Charles Lee was a fan of his team’s fight to bring the game back within reach and even take the lead in the closing seconds.
“The standard Hornets motto of ‘never give up.’ We are never out of a game because of our fight, because of our talent. This group continues to just impress me. No matter what kind of lead or how the game is flowing, they just keep grinding, and they keep believing in each other. That’s why I believe in them, and I know we’re never out of the game.
“We figured out what kind of spacing we needed to get to. They were playing a good amount of zone, so we figured out how to get to some type of zone offense. I thought the guys executed pretty well. Defensively, I thought there was a lot of attention to detail. Give Miami credit, and give (Tyler) Herro credit, I thought he hit some tough buckets when it mattered. For the most part, I was really happy with how the guys played tonight.”
Herro scored 12 of his team-high 27 points in the fourth quarter, including a late triple for the lead.
The Hornets are still a young team with a young head coach who is figuring things out about his players on a game-by-game basis. So, seeing a fight in a game where he could’ve pulled the plug early is a good sign despite the loss.
Hornets’ Tidjane Salaun registered his best game as a pro
With injuries to Miles Bridges, Grant Williams, and other key frontcourt players, Tidjane Salaun found himself back in the starting lineup. He had a solid impact on the game as well, finishing with a career-high 17 points in 37 minutes of action. He went 3-7 from deep and hit a big shot to take the lead late in the fourth quarter.
Salaun opened up about his best night as a pro after the game.
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“I would say it was cool out there. It’s about my confidence, about growing game by game. I would say that’s the type of basketball I like – when we share the ball a lot and trust the pass, it’s a lot of fun out there.”
Salaun proceeded to hit his daily dose of fist pumps after some big-time shots as well. Animating the crowd and pumping his team up.
“We have a crowd, so I can have more fun in the game. It’s just a game, so I just play like it was a video game.”
Fun, interesting night at home for the Hornets, but they did still lose the game, dropping their third straight. Maybe after the holiday, they’ll be able to get back on track to take on the New York Knicks.
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