Recap/Analysis: Starters tie but Hornets lose to Knicks – At The Hive

The Charlotte Hornets went toe to toe with the New York Knicks, particularly when the starters were in, but they lost the game, 111-109.

The Summary

The first quarter gave Hornets fans something to be excited about. While the result was nice, it was more exciting to see a team that played with good offensive movement and an emphasis on creating spot up opportunities. They hit 8-of-11 3-point attempts in the period with Tre Mann hitting three of them. Rookie Tidjane Salaün stole the show in the second quarter. He used a jab space to create an angle then scored his first career bucket with a running hook through the lane. A couple of possessions later, he stepped into a transition three. The Knicks went on a run through the middle parts of the quarter to take the lead, but the starters came back in for the final minutes of the half, and the Hornets’ guys evened the game up by halftime.

The Hornets left their starters in for the first few minutes of the second half. The Knicks did not, and the home team took advantage with a scoring spurt to give themselves a comfortable lead. The Hornets emptied the bench for the fourth quarter, and that entire period was played with players that won’t get a lot of minutes for their respective teams this season. The Hornets turned the ball over a lot and struggled to generate offense and lost the game, but who cares.

The Good

LaMelo Ball looked in midseason form. He’s been a notoriously slow starter after long layoffs, either due to injury or at the start of seasons. That wasn’t the case on Sunday. He was hitting long threes, long floaters, and hitting guys with lobs around the basket. On top of that, he showed more defensive effort than normal. He closed out on shooters and stayed engaged trailing the ball if he got hit by a screen. It was a good starting point.

Tidjane Salaün showed more than he did in the summer league. He hit three triples and showed little glimpses of talent at other moments. He had a drive and Eurostep that set him up to whip a pass out to the 3-point line. He played with energy that sometimes crossed the line into playing too fast, but there are workable traits there.

Taj Gibson only played nine minutes but he looked spry in those minutes. He’s probably the best third string center the Hornets have had in quite a while. He can still play a little bit if pressed into duty.

Tre Mann looks like a 90s throwback. His jersey and shorts are baggier than anyone else’s on the floor. That with the headband and forearm sweatband make it look like someone took off a throwback team on 2K. And he played well. He hit a few threes and showed some good wiggle off the bounce when he got the opportunity. He’ll have a chance to thrive as a sixth man.

It appears the guys were correct when they said Miles Bridges got his bounce back.

Miles Bridges comes down the lane and drops the hammer 🔨

📺 Knicks-Hornets | NBA TV
📲 https://t.co/YWUgwXJxob pic.twitter.com/qpo5p7362v

— NBA (@NBA) October 6, 2024

The Bad

I think DaQuan Jeffries and Duane Washington Jr. joined as a sleeper agents for the Knicks. Jeffries played 19 minutes, didn’t attempt a shot, turned the ball over three times, and had a team worst -17 plus-minus. Washington had three free throws to potentially win the game with less than three seconds left, but he missed all three of them.

What’s Next

Preseason games in any sport are kind of like Rorschach tests. Your takeaways say more about you than they do about the actual sport. At any rate, it’s fun to watch again. The Hornets host the Heat in Spectrum Center on Tuesday.