All Hornets

Charlotte's furious fourth quarter comeback against Miami falls short

Tidjane Salaün's potential game-winner was thwarted by Tyler Herro in the Hornets loss.

Matt Alquiza

Sam Sharpe-Imagn Images
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The first quarter was the quintessential LaMelo Ball experience. The Charlotte Hornets' leading man dazzled a lively Spectrum Center crowd with an array of crossovers, step backs, floaters, and inch-perfect passes to open shooters in the competitive opening salvo that ended in a deadlock at 26.

His brilliant start was matched by Tidjane Salaün.

The rookie had onlookers feeling like it was the preseason again as he scored seven first period points, a new career-high for a quarter. The youthful exuberance of Salaün is refreshing to watch in the midst of they day-to-day grind of NBA basketball. He's the most emotive player on the team, first-pumping and pointing to anyone in the crowd willing to look whenever he makes a big play.

If the first quarter was the quintessential LaMelo Ball experience, the second was the quintessential banged-up Charlotte Hornets experience. The offense was listless, moribund, shaky, or in other words, bad.

The Hornets scored 13 points in the quarter, shooting 7/20 from the field and turning the ball over four times. It was reminiscent of the Magic game from Monday night: an unorganized mess that was too reliant on hero-ball from Charlotte's stars.

The beginning of the second half brought more of the same. Charlotte had absolutely no juice on offense against Miami for three quarters. The Heat opened up a 20 point lead midway through the third quarter before the Hornets made a bonkers comeback in the final stanza.

LaMelo Ball (17 fourth quarter points to extend his NBA-leading count), Brandon Miller, and Tidjane Salaün led the charge in the wild comeback that ultimately fell short. Salaün cashed the biggest shot of his young career, a corner three with 42.1 second left to give Charlotte their first lead of the ballgame, before Tyler Herro ripped out the hearts of the Hornets faithful when he matched Salaün's gumption with a long-range hit of his own.

Charlotte misses Miles Bridges and Tre Mann something serious. Outside of LaMelo Ball, the Hornets don't employ a single creative ball handler that can manufacture shots for themself of their teammates. Brandon Miller's bag isn't deep enough at 22-years-old to carry the load of an NBA offense on his shoulders, meaning when Ball hits the pine, Charlotte has no chance at putting a competitive offensive unit on the hardwood.

Best of the night: Tidjane Salaün breaks out

Tonight was the rookie's most impressive NBA performance. Salaün looked as comfortable as ever with the ball in his hands, firing up jumpers and attacking the cup with vigor and control that has eluded him in his first month as a professional. Tidjane is still unrefined as a hooper, but the vision is clear.

Worst of the night: Charlotte's shooting percentage

When you play the high-variance style that Charles Lee does, nights like this are always an option. Charlotte couldn't buy a look from deep for the large majority of the game. The fourth quarter flurry makes the final number look better, but it was a woeful outing for the Hornets from downtown.

Stat of the night: 36 combined points in the second and third quarters

Detailed above, but the Hornets offense was stuck in neutral for 24 straight minutes. Charlotte consistently settled for contested jumpers and failed to garner a favorable whistle when attacking the cup, ultimately leading to a putrid offensive output that left them wholly uncompetitive against the Heat's perimeter-oriented attack for much of tonight's contest.

Highlight of the night: Tidjane puts Charlotte ahead with a three-pointer

This shot will get lost in the annals of history because Charlotte eventually lost, but it was a big-time shot in a big-time moment for a big-time prospect. Tidjane Salaün announced his presence on the NBA stage with his 17 point outing against the Miami Heat, and none of those 17 were as big as the three he cashed here in cruch time.

Charlotte's next contest will be on Friday afternoon against the New York Knicks in an NBA Cup match.

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Matt Alquiza
MATT ALQUIZA

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