CHARLOTTE, N.C. — It shouldn’t have been very difficult to get up for this one, not with the numbing pasting the same opponent delivered exactly two weeks ago to the day.
That pulverizing outcome couldn’t be forgotten and subtracted from the Charlotte Hornets’ memory banks. In theory, the painful reminder was supposed to get them all charged up and ready to exact a little revenge on their visitors from the desert.
“It feels very fresh,” coach James Borrego said leading into Sunday’s game against Phoenix. “That fuel will be there. If that was two months ago we’d probably forget it and move on. It was two weeks ago and it’s clearly in the back of our heads. We remember that feeling, and I expect a better performance.”
Didn’t happen, though.
Outclassed from the start, the Hornets began the new year off in disastrous fashion, getting pounded by the Suns 133-99 at Spectrum Center and bringing their three-game winning streak to a grinding halt.
“Yeah, I mean, I’m definitely surprised when we don’t play to the best of our ability because we prepare,” Kelly Oubre said. “We go into these games with the utmost confidence in ourselves and our game plan to perform. So obviously, it’s something we have to learn from.”
School was in session from the outset.
“Both the games we played, they came out and hit us in the mouth,” Miles Bridges said. “We didn’t respond and that’s what it was.”
Here are some of the key takeaways from the Hornets’ rough defeat:
THE ‘D’ STRUGGLED BADLY
The main focus of practice in the two days preceding their matchup with the Suns centered on the area that needs to be tightened up the most: defense. A few more film-study sessions could be in order.
Phoenix took the Hornets apart with ease and got nearly any shot it wanted, building an advantage as large as 29 points early in the third quarter. What’s really noteworthy is the rapid pace in which they blew the hinges off of the game. The Hornets had cut a 14-point edge down to four in the second quarter, only to yield a 35-13 run to the Suns that completely erased the comeback vibes.
Allowing the Suns to record a season-high 36 assists likely means more film study sessions are forthcoming.
“We could not get a handle on them,” Borrego said. “The ball was moving for them. They were making shots. We were trying to be aggressive early. We were trying to get the ball out of Chris (Paul) and (Devin) Booker’s hands. They just moved it extremely well. They made shots early and then we just couldn’t recover. I don’t think there was anything schematically.
“We were trying to do the right things. We were trying to be aggressive and then they got hot. I thought the offensive end didn’t help us. We were dry on the offensive end and it just led to bad transition defense and we started to hang our heads.”
MILES KNOCKS OFF RUST
So much for Miles Bridges’ return sparking the Hornets.
After missing their past two games while out because of health and safety protocols, Bridges was in the starting lineup again and took a while to get going. He relied mostly on his ability to drive to the basket, maneuvering into the lane in part because his jumper didn’t have any consistency. He posted 10 points, hitting 4-of-9 shots, but misfired on all three attempts beyond the 3-point arc.
Even his patented alley-oop with LaMelo Ball was slightly off. The week of downtime threw him out of whack a bit.
“Yeah, just trying to get into a rhythm,” Bridges said. “We have a great offense, so just me coming back, it changes some things. I just want to get adjusted. We need to get back to how we were playing when I wasn’t out there. Just trying to get back in the flow.”
Physically, Bridges is not in a bad place.
“I’m good,” he said. “I got some exercise in at the crib. I was actually more energized than I thought I was going to be. I thought I was going to be a little bit more tired than I was. I played 25 minutes. I felt good out there.”
PJ NOT OK AFTER ALL
Optimism abounded that PJ Washington would be available like Bridges because he cleared protocols on Saturday as well. But word came down less than two hours prior to the opening tip that he was out, which came as a surprise to the Hornets.
“He’s still in protocol or went back into protocol, whatever you want to call it,” Borrego said. “That’s all I know. We just got to adjust and it’s day-by-day. Didn’t expect that one, but that’s kind of where we’re at these days.”
Indeed. About the only thing certain in the current landscape is uncertainty.
“It’s really up to the minute we tip-off. You never know what’s going to happen — you really don’t. So, you just adjust, you adapt. We’ve got enough bodies here. It’s unfortunate for PJ, I’d like to have him out there, but we’ll adjust, we’ll move on. Other guys have stepped up. We’ll get him back, hopefully soon.”
GIVING HIM THE BIS-NESS
Phoenix’s newest signee was a familiar face.
Brought on board with a 10-day hardship exception due to the number of players they have in health and safety protocols, Bismack Biyombo signed his deal just in time to face his old team. Biyombo, who played in Charlotte for seven seasons, including his most recent three-year stint, exchanged pleasantries all evening and couldn’t even get his pregame warmups started without getting stopped to chat. Bridges gave him a huge bear hug first, followed by a special handshake with Terry Rozier and a moment catching up with Gordon Hayward.
Biyombo was also recognized by public address announcer Patrick “Big Pat” Doughty during pregame warmups, allowing those fans already in position a chance to offer up a little recognition.
“It’s good to see Biz getting an opportunity,” Bridges said. “He’s a great guy, great teammate, great leader. So it’s just good for him to get an opportunity to be back on an NBA floor. He played great against us. He affected the game defensively, rebounded and scored the ball. So I’m happy to see Biz out there.”
