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Recap/Analysis: Hornets pick up second-straight win, beat Pacers 111-102 – At The Hive
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Grant Williams led the charge with 21 points, Miles Bridges chipped in 20 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists, and Seth Curry went off for 18 points in 19 minutes as the Charlotte Hornets topped the Indiana Pacers, 111-102, earning consecutive victories for just the second time all season.
Tre Mann neared a triple-double with 11 points, nine rebounds and seven assists. Nick Richards posted 13 points and nine rebounds and Brandon Miller scored 12 points. Cody Martin had 11 and five rebounds.
Myles Turner led Indiana with 22 points. Tyrese Haliburton tallied 13 points and 12 assists while Aaron Nesmith put up 21 points. Pascal Siakam contributed 18 points.
Summary
Mann lobbed it up to Richards to open the scoring, and soon after Miller canned a three to make it 7-4, triggering a quick timeout from the Pacers less than two minutes into the game. Indiana went up 21-14 but the Hornets regained the lead with a 9-0 run capped off by a deep triple from Bridges. Despite 13 points on a perfect 4-4 from the field and 4-4 from the line from Turner, Charlotte led 25-24 heading into the second.
It was a very evenly matched second quarter. The Hornets would go ahead by a few, and then the Pacers would battle back to take the lead, and vice versa — at halftime, the game had already seen 15 lead changes and six ties. Williams, who scored eight points in the frame, got a technical for hanging on the rim that was quickly rescinded. Charlotte briefly snatched the lead back before Andrew Nembhard raced down court and finished a layup in the final seconds to give Indiana the lead, 49-48 at halftime.
The neck-and-neck battle continued as the third got underway. Eventually, the Pacers began to stretch out a lead, but Mann threw down his first jam with the Hornets off a nice hit-ahead from Bridges before working the mid-range for a pull-up jumper to bring Charlotte within three, 74-71 late in the quarter. Then, it was Seth Curry time; the veteran sniper scored eight of the Hornets last 10, giving him 14 points on 6-9 shooting in just 13 minutes of play and putting Charlotte ahead 81-80 after three. You could hear how much fun Dell Curry and Eric Collins were having on the broadcast while calling that run.
Both teams brought the juice in the fourth quarter. Richards got yammed on by Nesmith, but responded the way any true rim protector should — he contested Isaiah Jackson on the next trip and came up with a huge block, leading to a bucket from Mann that put Charlotte up four, 88-84. With the game tied at 88 a few moments later, the Hornets ripped off an 8-1 run to take a 96-89 lead, but the Pacers weren’t going away quietly.
After Indiana made it a one-possession game once again just inside the five-minute mark, Bridges converted an and-one and Miller drilled a tough middy that made it 103-95, giving Charlotte a comfortable lead to play with in crunch time. Bridges added the exclamation point, baptizing Turner on a ferocious dunk with two minutes and change remaining, and Williams iced it with a pair at the line to give the Hornets their second-straight win.
the good
Neither team was able to gain much separation — a positive sign for the new-look Hornets after failing to be competitive against quality teams for much of the season. Rounding out the rotation with surefire NBA rotation pieces really does wonders on the court, as evidenced by hanging with the #1 offense in the league. 44 bench points tonight with the performances from Curry and Williams. Even if it doesn’t result in wins that much more frequently than in the first half of the year, the Hornets will be putting a better product on the floor on a nightly basis.
Vasa Micic is awesome. His flair and creativity as a passer is reminiscent of LaMelo Ball to me. The no-looks, wrap-arounds and drop-offs all have that same distinct flair. Super fun to watch him cook as the second unit initiator. Mann has been fantastic picking his spots as a scorer, distributor, and attacking the glass, too. Thank you, Sam Presti.
Bridges’ passing looks really good. He’s shown pinpoint accuracy on passes with a high degree of difficulty, added ability to make reads on the fly and be a real connector in an offense. That skill is going to be very helpful while LaMelo is out and will fit alongside him nicely once he returns. Bridges also shot 6-9 in the paint tonight. Rim pressure + vision = easy offense.
the bad
The only negative from the trade deadline; the front office didn’t add any size or rim protection. Perhaps that’s alleviated soon using open roster spot, but the Hornets give up a lot of height when Mark Williams is injured and Richards leaves the floor. Over a large sample that’s bound to kill them defensively, even if it wasn’t much of an issue tonight. Surprisingly, the Hornets actually out-rebounded the Pacers 46-32 tonight.
The defense… still not great. The offense will probably make a sizable jump once the new guys leave their mark on the team’s statistical sample, but the point of attack is porous and they don’t have many lengthy, aggressive on-ball defenders, along with the aforementioned size disadvantage. Adding size and defensive versatility at all positions should be a major focus going forward.
It does seem as if Miller has faded in and out a bit during the last two games. I’d bet this is a byproduct of integrating the new guys, because he got the touches when he wanted them and in the flow of the offense, but I have noticed it — only 17 shot attempts in the last two games combined. Just something to watch going forward more than a true negative.
what’s next
The Hornets await a home matchup with the Atlanta Hawks on Wednesday, Feb. 14 before beginning an eight-day vacation for the All-Star break.
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Chase Whitney
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