The Charlotte Hornets had enough going for them in Phoenix to win a lot of nights. They controlled the boards by 20, edged the Suns from deep 14-13, got to the line more often, and held up defensively for most of the game. None of it mattered once the turnovers piled up.
Charlotte coughed it up 25 times in a 101-96 loss, and that number swallowed everything else. The Hornets even finished the fourth quarter with more turnovers, six, than made field goals, five. That was the difference in a game that slipped away late.
Charles Lee tried to ride out the finish with a lineup that had very little offensive punch: Sion James, Grayson Allen, Tidjane Salaun, Naz Reid, and Moussa Diabate. With Coby White on a strict limits minute and Brandon Miller and Kon Knueppel both out injured, Charlotte simply didn’t have much margin for error against a team like Phoenix. Lee could have gone to Christian Anderson over Sion James to close it out, but it’s hard to say that alone would have been enough to rescue the offense.
White, though, gave Charlotte exactly the kind of burst it needs. This is the Coby White that Charlotte signed to a $74M deal this summer.
He looked like his old self early, scoring or assisting on six of the Hornets’ first nine points by getting two feet in the paint and attacking with purpose. Across his 20 minutes, he kept driving the ball, kept forcing the issue, and kept giving Charlotte a pace it badly needs.
For a team near the bottom of the league in efficiency, that kind of pressure on opposing makes, misses, and turnovers stands out. His minutes limit makes sense for the long haul, but it’s also clear Charlotte is feeling it right now.
Grant Williams also made his presence felt right away after an extended absence. When he’s healthy, he tends to do the little things that swing games: proper positioning on defense, the extra pass on offense, and timely shots when they’re there. His team-high +11 told the story of how much he helped.
The night also belonged to Christian Anderson Jr., who turned in the best game of his young career. The rookie point guard came in with just four made threes in his first 22 attempts, but he knocked down three of six against Phoenix.
That shot opened things up for him, and he looked far more comfortable against a defense that picked him up full court. With Coby White limited and Dennis Schroder sidelined, Anderson’s performance mattered.
The backup point guard job is his, and if he keeps this up, there may not be much room for Schroder when he returns.
One more thing to watch: Tidjane Salaun’s long-term fit. If his future is as a 3/4 rather than a 4/5, that changes the conversation. Charlotte’s defense looks strong with him alongside two traditional bigs, and it’ll be worth seeing how the numbers look if he spends more time playing down a position over a larger sample.
In Other News...
Hornets Get Caught In A Suns Reunion With Extra Tension
The Suns arrive in Charlotte riding the momentum of a win over the Clippers, but this one carries a little more edge than a routine East-West stop. The Hornets are dealing with a long injury list, while Phoenix will be without Mark Williams because of offseason surgery, setting up a matchup that already has a different feel because of the personnel on both sides.
The trade that sent Miles Bridges to Phoenix and brought Grayson Allen and Royce O'Neale to Charlotte still hangs over this meeting, especially with both teams continuing to sort out roles and rotation pieces around the deal. Jordan Ott has already talked about the value Allen and O'Neale can bring, and Bridges has been part of that same conversation from the Suns side, which gives this game a little extra tension even before the ball goes up. [Read more 🡒]
Grayson Allen Returns To Phoenix With Something To Prove
Grayson Allens return to Phoenix carries a little extra weight for the Hornets, even if the season has already moved on from the offseason trade that brought him to Charlotte. Allen left behind a memorable run with the Suns, including a career night when he poured in 42 points and came close to the franchise mark for made 3-pointers in a game, and he has since settled into a valuable veteran role for a Charlotte team trying to steady itself through injuries.
For the Hornets, Allens presence has mattered beyond the box score because he has brought experience and consistency to a roster that has needed both. The reunion also adds a layer of intrigue for Charlotte, since Allen was appreciative of his time in Phoenix and now gets a chance to remind his old team what it gave up, even if the full story of that move still hangs over the matchup. [Read more 🡒]
Hornets Fans Have A Real Naz Reid Question To Watch
Naz Reids name has already started to surface in trade chatter as Charlotte tries to steady itself after a slow start, and that alone is enough to make this a storyline worth watching. The big man was brought in during the offseason deal that sent LaMelo Ball out, so his presence was supposed to be part of the next phase for the roster, not an early-season question mark.
Still, the longer the Hornets hover near the bottom of the standings, the more attention Reid is likely to draw from around the league. His contract gives Charlotte flexibility, but it also gives rival teams a reason to keep tabs on him, especially if the Hornets decide they need to reshape the roster rather than wait for the season to turn. [Read more 🡒]