Tidjane Salaün earns first NBA start for Hornets in highly anticipated matchup against Haliburton, Pacers

Matt Alquiza | Nov 8, 2024

Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images

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Charlotte Hornets

Tonight's starting lineup will be the Charlotte Hornets' sixth different configuration in nine games. The level of atrophy that Charlotte's starting five has faced in the first two weeks of the season has been startling, but head coach Charles Lee has handled the adversity well. His offensive and defensive schemes have been adaptable enough to keep his Hornets in games against the larger-than-life front courts they've faced in recent days, and tonight's matchup against Myles Turner, Pascal Siakiam, and the Indiana Pacers will create another unique challenge.

Coach Lee on the team stepping up during adversity

"Who is the most vocal? I think it's been the whole group. I look over at the timeout sometimes it's Grant. Sometimes it's Cody. Sometimes it's Melo. Sometimes it's Miles. I've been really proud of the way the guys have just been vocal with each other."

His guys will face a new adversity as they move forward without Miles Bridges for the foreseeable future. Bridges stepped up in a big way against the Detroit Pistons pouring in an efficient 27 points while leading the team in rebounding with seven. Wondering who will take his spot in the starting lineup? The answer comes in the form of sixth overall pick Tidjane Salaün. The rookie will start his first career NBA game in stead of Miles Bridges, a rapid ascension from highly-touted prospect to NBA starter within six months of his carer starting. Read on for the rest of Charlotte's starting line-up.

Charlotte Hornets starting five:

PG: LaMelo Ball
SG: Brandon Miller
SF: Josh Green
PF: Tidjane Salaün
C: Taj Gibson

Indiana Pacers starting five:

PG: Tyrese Haliburton
SG: Andrew Nembhard
SF: Bennedict Mathurin
PF: Pascal Siakam
C: Myles Turner

Hornets fans can catch tonight's action on the FanDuel Sports Network or it's accompanying app. The game tips off from the Spectrum Center at 7 P.M. Charlotte's next action will come on Sunday night when they travel to the City of Brotherly Love to take on Paul George and the 76ers.

Coach Lee on the team stepping up during adversity

Charlotte Hornets starting five:

Indiana Pacers starting five:

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