Hornets Stay Hot, Outlast Spurs in Matinee Clash
The San Antonio Spurs came out swinging in Charlotte, but a second-quarter collapse and a late-game miscue sealed their fate in a hard-fought loss to the surging Hornets.
This one started with pace, energy, and promise for the Spurs. They opened the matinee with six made threes, eight fast break points, and a bench unit that gave them a solid early cushion.
Combine that with six Charlotte turnovers, and San Antonio had a four-point lead after one. It was the kind of start you want on the road-aggressive, opportunistic, and efficient.
But the momentum didn’t last.
The second quarter flipped the script. The Spurs went ice-cold from deep, missing all seven of their 3-point attempts, while Charlotte ramped up their offensive motion and found new life.
Collin Sexton got going with 10 points in the frame, and then Brandon Miller absolutely caught fire. The rookie forward poured in 16 points in the quarter, turning a tie game with three minutes left into a 14-point Hornets lead by halftime.
That stretch-just a few minutes of defensive lapses and missed shots-was the turning point.
Out of the break, the Spurs struggled to match Charlotte’s physicality in the paint. The Hornets kept pressuring inside, and San Antonio couldn’t string together stops or cut the deficit to single digits until the fourth quarter.
Turnovers were a killer-each one seemed to end in a Hornets bucket. Combine that with some shaky perimeter defense and an inability to secure rebounds on second-chance opportunities, and the Spurs found themselves on the ropes.
Then came a spark.
Stephon Castle’s late-game scoring surge breathed life into the Spurs, cutting the deficit to just two points with five minutes to play. Charlotte had to burn a timeout to regroup, and for a moment, it looked like San Antonio might steal one on the road.
But the Hornets responded with grit and execution. The Spurs gave up three straight buckets inside, missed four critical shots on the other end, and then came the dagger-a foul on Miles Bridges as he rose for a three. That sequence shut the door.
Key Takeaways:
- Matinee Malaise: Early tip-offs can throw off even the most seasoned players. Routines matter in the NBA, and the Spurs looked a step slow defensively for much of the game.
- Harrison’s Mixed Bag: Playing with the second unit for the first time in a decade, Harrison gave the Spurs a much-needed lift in the fourth quarter. He hit timely shots and helped fuel the comeback push-but also committed the crucial foul on Bridges that effectively ended the rally.
- Charlotte’s Rebounding Edge: The Hornets came into this one as the league’s best rebounding team over the past month, and they showed why. They owned the glass with a 15-rebound advantage and turned that into 14 second-chance points. That physicality in the trenches was a difference-maker.
- Brandon Miller’s Breakout: With all eyes on LaMelo Ball and Kon Knueppel, it was Miller who took advantage of the defensive attention elsewhere. He found space off curls and screens, and when he got hot, the Spurs had no answer.
- Diabaté Dominates the Paint: Charlotte made 23 shots in the lane, and Moussa Diabaté was responsible for a large chunk of them. His presence inside was a constant problem for San Antonio’s interior defense.
- Dylan Harper’s Coming-Out Party: Harper came off the bench and made an immediate impact, leading all Hornets reserves in scoring. He knocked down jumpers, attacked the lane, and looked like a player ready for a bigger role. His first-half performance was a glimpse of what’s to come.
- Spurs Show Fight, But Not Finish: San Antonio outscored Charlotte in three of the four quarters. But that second-quarter meltdown and inability to close out defensive possessions ultimately cost them. The effort was there, especially late-but against a team playing with this much confidence, you can’t afford extended lapses.
The Hornets, now winners of six straight, continue to build momentum with quality wins stacking up. For the Spurs, it’s another game of flashes and frustration-moments of brilliance undone by breakdowns.