Miles Bridges' heroics can't save Charlotte as Hornets lose their eighth straight

The more things change for the Charlotte Hornets the more they stay the same.

Matt Alquiza | Dec 30, 2024

Sam Sharpe-Imagn Images

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Charlotte Hornets

Monday night's first quarter quickly became the Seth Curry show.

The Charlotte Hornets' eldest guard poured in the team's first 12 points in a number of ways. Catch-and-shoot threes, dribble pull ups, offensive put backs; Seth got deep in his bag to revive a listless Charlotte offense.

Curry's offensive explosion combined with a staunch defensive effort saw Charlotte end the first quarter with a 24-15 lead. An impressive two-way period saw the Hornets ground Chicago's explosive offense while manufacturing decent looks of their own.

The strong start faded quickly.

The second quarter resembled most Hornets outings as of late: bad basketball on both ends of the floor. Charlotte struggled communicating on defense and Chicago took advantage. The Bulls created a boatload of good looks from deep in the first quarter that failed to find the bottom of the net before water found its level in the second frame, giving the Bulls the advantage at the midway point.

Charlotte's first half offense, save for Seth Curry, was stuck in the mud which was to be expected without LaMelo Ball, Brandon Miller, and Tre Mann in the lineup.

The dawn of the second half came with Josh Green and Mark Williams illuminating the Spectrum Center with a dazzling run of form. The pair of Hornets starters stunned the home crowd with a handful of heads up, high-level athletic plays in transition that led to easy buckets for the Hornets. Green and Williams' two-way, showtime play propelled Charlotte to a lead midway through the quarter that evaporated down the stretch as Chicago continued to pour in threes.

All of that action coalesced into a patented 2024-25 Charlotte Hornets tight fourth quarter that ended with Miles Bridges as the hero.

A pair of missed free throws by Nikola Jokic set the stage for Bridges to knock down a leaning, off-balance three pointer to tie the game with 1.5 seconds left in regulation. A Vucevic attempt at a game-winner went begging and the fans in Charlotte were treated to free basketball as a late Christmas gift.

Unfortunately the Christmas gift that was overtime ended up being a fat lump of coal. Chicago raced out to a 106-98 lead, opening the period on an 8-0 run that all but doomed the Hornets to their eighth straight loss.

Best of the night: Mark Williams and Josh Green's third quarter

Shaq and Kobe type scenes in Charlotte.

For three minutes of action, Green and Williams were completely in sync. Relentless defensive effort led to transition buckets by the pair as Charlotte beat Chicago at their own game. Charles Lee spoke at length pregame about how the Hornets needed to match the Bull' pace to stay competitive, and the pair of Green and Williams made sure they did.

Show off the vision Big Mark 👓@SharonviewFCU // #MemorableMoments pic.twitter.com/yAHHjUKemi
— Hornets On FanDuel Sports Network (@FDSN_Hornets) December 31, 2024

As a whole, this was Mark Williams' best performance since his return to action. The third-year big man's activity levels looked like the exciting center prospect Charlotte drafted in the 2021 NBA Draft lottery, flashing a deft touch around the rim on offense with a "no-easy-buckets" mentality on the defensive end.

Worst of the night: Charlotte's three-point shooting woes continue

Charles Lee has clearly defined the Hornets style of play: Threes, threes, and more threes. Unfortunately, his personnel doesn't match the plan.

The Hornets continue to shoot long-range jumpers at a low clip on high volume, exacerbating the problem as they fall behind early in games. Charlotte finished 10/42 from downtown, hitting their threes at a sub-25% clip that won't win games.

Stat of the night: 50 points in the paint

While Charlotte struggled on the perimeter they handled their business on the interior. Mark Williams and Miles Bridges paraded to the rim for basket upon basket against Chicago's front led by Nikola Vucevic.