The Charlotte Hornets faced off against the Los Angeles Lakers on February 6 at Spectrum Center in Charlotte, NC. Although the game ended with a loss for the Hornets (124-118), the team's offense gave the Lakers a good run for it.
The dynamic duo of the Hornets (Bridges and Miller) remain the players to watch for. Their impressive performances in this particular game are notable.
Both Miles Emmanuel Bridges Sr. and Brandon Jordan Miller scored 30+ points each for their third consecutive game. Bridges set a new personal best with 41 points, while Miller contributed a remarkable 33 points.
Miles Bridges scored ten points in the first half, keeping the Hornets offense going even as they trailed by eight points at the end of the first quarter (37-29).
The second quarter saw a continuation of the identical score from the first, leaving the Hornets down by 16 points at halftime.
In the beginning of the third quarter, the Hornets executed a play intended for Miller, resulting in a successful elbow shot. Making up for lost opportunities, the Hornets player managed to attempt several hoops near the basket, reducing their deficit against the opponent to just 14 points.
The Lakers responded by rolling the ball in and focusing on maintaining their lead. Miles Bridges tried to spark a comeback with a step-back three, but Anthony Davis blocked it, keeping the Lakers' advantage at double digits.
The Hornets bested the Lakers in the fourth quarter by 8 points but this was not enough to secure a win.
Victories in the Midst of the Loss
Though this is the team's eighth straight loss since trading Terry Rozier to Miami, Miles Bridges and Brandon Miller stood out offensively in the loss to the Lakers. Miles Bridges even reached a new career milestone by scoring 41 points in the game. To add, Brandon Miller made five three-pointers and scored a total of 33 points, making him the first Hornets rookie to score no less than 30 points in back-to-back games.
"Hats off to my teammates for coming in every day and building my confidence to take the shots that I take in tough matchups like this with the crowd going. It’s really all my teammates not just me. If it wasn’t for them I wouldn’t take those shots.”
Brandon Miller
Nick Richards made a small impact with four points and four rebounds in his 32 minutes on the court; and Ish Smith contributed six points in the first quarter for the Hornets.
The Hornets' offense was impressive throughout the match, with Bridges and Miller leading the charge, but their defense left much to be desired. The Lakers took advantage of Charlotte's defensive miscues, making open shots both inside and outside the paint.
In the coming game against the Indiana Pacers (30-24) on February 12 at Spectrum Center, both Miller and Bridges will look to build upon their impressive performances and lead the Charlotte Hornets (11-41) to victory; but defense will have to up their game to accomplish a win. Tip-off is at 7:00PM ET. The Pacers, at 12-14 SU and 13-10-1 ATS on the road, are currently in 6th place in the Eastern Conference; whereas the Hornets, at 5-21 SU and 10-16 ATS at home, are at 13th in standings.
This season, the Pacers have won two of three games against the Hornets.
The Charlotte Hornets will have to maximize its top performers, both in scoring as well as in defense. Nick Richards could push for more than his average 12.1 points in the last 10 games. He goes third against Miller's 22.2 and Bridges' 23.8. Cody Martin comes in at an average of 7.2 points while Bryce McGowens is at 6.7.
As the Charlotte Hornets prepare to meet the Pacers, the fans and other stakeholders will continue to celebrate the excitement and passion of basketball, one game at a time.