After his 1/15 against the Cavaliers, LaMelo Ball responded like a boss in Orlando

The Hornets were left with a loss to the Cavaliers, marked by a half-spear attack as a LaMelo Ball limited to two points with a terrible 1/15 shooting. For the second round of this back-to-back, the leader found his place in Charles Lee’s starting five and wasted no time getting Charlotte back on track.

Lonzo’s brother scored eight points in less than five minutes, setting the tone immediately. And after him, the Hornets took control and were already eight steps ahead.

“We have veterans, guys who have been around a long time, who immediately focus on the next game”, emphasizes Brandon Miller. “Miles (Bridges) is going to be thirty years old and he never stops encouraging young people.”

LaMelo Ball wasn’t the only one to shine in this first quarter: Charles Lee’s entire team had a hot hand. After twelve minutes, Charlotte posted an impressive 9/14 from 3-point range, a sign of a start that was as clean as it was sharp.

Colin Sexton also contributed from the bench. In his first appearance, he scored two goals from behind the arc, before finishing with 19 points on a perfect 3/3 from distance.

“After the first consecutive game, we were not satisfied”logically recognizes Brandon Miller (20 points). “But we found our energy and were able to play at our best level against a good team, in a difficult environment.”

Respected identity

In this ideal beginning, Tidjane Salaun also had a chance to show off. A fake pass sent Tyus Jones into the wind, completely freeing the Frenchman for three-pointers. Then, at the start of the second quarter, the Parisian took advantage of Moritz Wagner’s overly complacent defense to punish again behind the arc.

At halftime, the Hornets already had a 21-point lead and were able to get their act together without fear, winning mostly 124-97 at the end of the night where they shot 47% from 3-point range.

“Every day we talk about our identity: how are we going to defend this team? How are we going to attack it?”explains Charles Lee. “The first part of our video session is dedicated to the DNA of the Hornets. We respect the opponent for preparing well, but above all we try to stay within our limits. Consistency on a daily basis is essential.

With offensive assets like LaMelo Ball, Brandon Miller and Kon Knueppel — struggling a bit in this stretch (17 points on average on 37.5% shooting, 18.8% on 3-pointers) — these Hornets’ identity is naturally expressed through offense. The proof: Charlotte has the eighth-highest offensive efficiency in the NBA this season, scoring 116.6 points per 100 possessions, the same average as the Lakers of Luka Doncic and LeBron James.

The Hornets look to prove themselves this Saturday against the Wizards. The meeting has been moved to 18:00. (French time), due to heavy snowfall forecast in North Carolina, likely to disrupt the region.