Recap/Analysis: New look Hornets take down Grizzlies – At The Hive

All five of the newly acquired players got into the game and made an impact as the Charlotte Hornets beat the Memphis Grizzlies, 115-106.

Summary

Tre Mann hopped straight off the plan and into the starting lineup and made his presence felt immediately by scoring the Hornets first five points of the game. Meanwhile most of the Grizzlies offense on the other end was left handed push shots by Jaren Jackson Jr. Another newbie Grant Williams made two 3-pointers near the end of the first with Brandon Miller separating the two with eight points of his own. The Grizzlies were very aggressive hoisting up threes after the Jaren Jackson Jr. show and held a three point lead after the first quarter.

There was a point early in the second quarter where the Hornets lineup consisted of Nick Richards and four guys that weren’t on the team 72 hours ago. Vasilije Micic got his first bucket with a left handed layup that gave the Hornets their first lead of the game. Davis Bertans was the fifth and final new guy to check in (Seth Curry checked in with Williams but only tallied a couple of steals in the box score). After a couple shaky possessions, he hit a three corner threes to help the Hornets build their lead. Micic started to find his groove with some savvy dimes a couple of crafty buckets and Grant Williams hit his third three to put the Hornets up double figures. It was all part of a 20-2 Hornets run that was mostly carried out by new guys. A couple Grizzlies buckets in the final seconds set the score at 58-49 in favor of the Hornets heading into halftime.

The Hornets held onto that lead throughout the third quarter. Miles Bridges asserted himself on the offensive end and made all five of his shot attempts, including a tough jumper out of an iso set. An even third quarter meant the Hornets still held their nine point lead heading into the fourth.

The teams traded buckets to start the fourth then both teams briefly went cold. The seal was broken by the fifth and final new guy to score, Charlotte’s very own Seth Curry. He caught a batted offensive rebound in rhythm and splashed a 3-pointer from the top of the key to put the Hornets up ten with 7:33 to play. A few minutes later, the Hornets found some serendipity when the Grizzlies bobbled away an uncontested rebound to Bridges, who took the ball and threw it down to restore the Hornets double digit lead with 3:25 to play. Micic found Williams a few possessions later to set up the dagger.

É.. Tá bom.

Micic 👉 Grant Williams pic.twitter.com/CU50YtlOqD

— Hornets Nation Brasil (@HornetsNationBR) February 11, 2024

And Miles Bridges drove it home with a walkup three to put the Hornets up 14 with less than a minute to go.

The Good

All of the new guys.

Vasilije Micic and Tre Mann were the best non-LaMelo Ball facilitators the Hornets have had all season. Mann developed an immediate chemistry with Nick Richards. He found him with a couple of lobs and other drop offs around the basket. Micic is an incredible all around passer. He was throwing no looks all over the court and hitting Hornets cutters with passes they weren’t even expecting. He’s going to be a lot of fun. Both Mann and Micic finished with nine assists apiece.

The five new guys combined to go 10-of-22 from three, which by my unofficial and not real count is more 3-pointers than the non-PJ Washington bench made all season. Basketball is a lot easier when the players on the floor can make the open looks they get.

Miles Bridges and Brandon Miller looked so much better with the better supporting cast around them. The scoring numbers weren’t as gaudy, but they didn’t need to be, and the efficiency was through the roof. Bridges scored 25, Miller scored 18, and each player missed exactly two shots. The game looked much easier for them tonight.

The Bad

It’s just the Grizzlies who are the most wounded team in the league, so the positives have to be taken with a little bit of a grain of salt. That said, the instant success of the new Hornets lineup really accentuated how bad the depth of the roster was before the trade deadline. The simple fact that at least four players on the floor could shoot the ball in any lineup configuration opened up space for driving lanes and made the offense flow a lot better. I said it on Twitter. Moral of the story is that you have a chance to win NBA basketball games if you have NBA players on the roster. The Hornets spent all of the season up to this point with multiple players getting extended minutes that are not NBA caliber players. It was never more glaringly obvious than it was tonight.

Cody Martin wasn’t at his best tonight. He made just 2-of-7 shots and had more turnovers (4) than assists (2). The Hornets offense looked a lot more threatening when Mann and Milic were handling point guard duties.

What’s Next

The Hornets try to keep the good times rolling when the Pacers come to town on Monday.