CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Carry-on bags have been an essential part of life for the Charlotte Hornets throughout the season’s first five weeks, a necessity due to the massive number of road games dotting their schedule.
But that’s changing now.
“We have 11 games here in 24 days,” coach Steve Clifford said Wednesday night, “almost completely opposite of the stretch we just had. Eight of those are at home before we go on the six-game West Coast trip. I just think you break it down that way. And it’s about the same thing: we just need to win games and make progress.”
With Philadelphia missing three key players in Joel Embiid, James Harden and Tyrese Maxey, the Hornets’ date with the 76ers was the prime opportunity to do just that. They had won only once in their previous seven outings at Spectrum Center and their matchup against Philadelphia represented the perfect scenario to put the brakes on a five-game losing streak that extended all the way back to Halloween.
It took them a while to get going and look more like the team that wasn’t playing on consecutive nights, but the Hornets rode a solid second-half performance and knocked off Philadelphia 107-101 in front of a Thanksgiving Eve crowd of 16,910.
So, no, it’s not quite panic time just yet for the Hornets (5-14).
“Even though we are in a hole, it’s not so deep that we can’t play our way out of it with 60-something games left,” Clifford said. “Last year, there were not a lot of very good teams in the East. So there were more teams that had over .500 records. Now I would say it won’t be that way because everybody is pretty good and everybody is beating everybody up. So what we need to do, we need to have a good 24 days here, get better, win some games, get guys back and then see where we are at.”
Here are some takeaways from the Hornets’ slump busting victory:
Kai Jones keeps contributing
Patience is paying off for Kai Jones.
After not getting any true minutes during meaningful action for the initial 16 games, that’s changed during the Hornets’ past three outings. Jones logged eight minutes, with his biggest highlight a putback dunk in the second quarter.
He was also on the floor for a portion of the fourth quarter, subbing in for PJ Washington at power forward rather than the center spot he had been mostly pegged for. Jones’ playing time during crucial minutes against the 76ers continued a trend that has the 21-year-old, who had four points and a rebound, excited.
“For me it’s huge,” Jones said, “because I was trying to help the team win from the bench even just with my talk and enthusiasm, cheering up the guys and being a good person on the bench. So now being on the floor, it’s even more important to me that I can block shots and rebound, do the things that I do well.”
No luck for DSJ
A return from a sprained left ankle lasted all of one full game for Dennis Smith Jr.
Smith missed four games prior to coming back against Washington on Sunday and looked fine until taking a spill in the second quarter versus the 76ers. Smith hurt himself midway through the quarter after awkwardly twisting on his left foot underneath the Hornets’ basket.
Philadelphia forward P.J. Tucker helped Smith limp over to the Hornets’ bench and after getting briefly looked at by Joe Sharpe, the team’s director of healthcare and sports performance, he went straight back into the locker room for further examination.
Smith’s injury meant Clifford had to turn to Théo Maledon at the backup point guard spot.
Tough balancing act
Surrendering too many second-chance points has been an issue for the Hornets and has directly contributed to their rebounding woes. Their defensive rebounding percentage of 70.6 ranks 22nd and Philadelphia got the best of the Hornets on the boards with a slim 45-44 margin.
The constant disparity continuously had Clifford in a dilemma. Should the Hornets keep leaking out on fastbreaks in an attempt to get some easy baskets? Or do they send everyone to the glass to better help them control the boards?
It’s a difficult balancing act and the Hornets are still trying to find the most effective approach.
“Could we fix it?” Clifford said. “Yep. I could tell them no more fast-breaking as much off the misses. And it would really, to me, crush what we can ultimately become. We had two guys on our roster last year that were above average rebounders for their position – Melo (Ball) and Miles (Bridges). Nobody else was above average. We are playing without both of those guys, so it does make a difference. But we can do it. We’ve done it some nights and it has to become part of who we are.
“Could I fix it? I think so. But then we are not going to run as much and I don’t think that’s smart.”
