Hornets vs. Grizzlies: The good, the bad and the LaMelo Ball
After consecutive impressive victories, the Hornets fell in frustrating fashion to the Grizzlies at home on Friday, 108-93.
Charlotte was hardly ever in the game, holding a very early lead before quickly falling behind. The lead reached double digits multiple times on the night, though a strong second quarter from the bench cut the lead to six points by the half.
The starters, who struggled throughout the night, could not continue cutting into the lead and it immediately stretched to double digits in the third quarter. Charlotte would never be able to cut back into the lead, briefly trimming it to 11 points in the fourth before the Grizzlies put the game away with a 7-0 run.
Bismack Biyombo was the leading scorer with 16 points while LaMelo Ball had 15. Gordon Hayward and Caleb Martin each had 14 points and P.J. Washington had 10.
The Good: The bench
For the second game in a row, the Hornets bench was impressive in the first half. After scoring 44 points in the opening two periods in the win over Dallas, the bench, and particularly Bridges and Ball, were standout performers. In one stretch, Ball scored or assisted on nine of thirteen points for the Hornets. Bridges provided the energy that he is known for. Cody and Caleb Martin had strong spurts, as did Jalen McDaniels. It helped overcome a first half where every starter had a negative plus-minus.
The Bad: The starters
If the bench was the standout, the starters were the biggest disappointment on the night. The bench was able to bring the Hornets back into the game with a strong finish to the first and start to the second. In the second half when the starters once again played poorly to open, the bench couldn't repeat their performance and, thus, the lead remained in double digits. Save for a brief spell in the middle of the fourth quarter where they cut the lead to 11, Charlotte five starters were woeful on the night. Honorable mentions: Turnovers, fastbreak points
The LaMelo Ball: A spark plug
As mentioned above, Ball was a bright spot for the Hornets on the night, one of the very few. He finished the night with 15 points on 6-of-14 shooting from the field and 2-of-7 from three. He added six assists, three rebounds and two steals as well. In the second quarter, Ball showed an ability to lead the offense, creating looks not just for himself but for teammates. It was a bright spot on a night that didn't have many.
