CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Something is slowly happening on Trade Street.
Inside the Spectrum Center over the past week, the atmosphere has been unmistakably electric. Many in attendance are standing on their feet in the closing minutes, screaming through their facemasks at a fever pitch.
“Well, it’s felt very special in the last recent games,” Hornets coach James Borrego said. “You can feel the energy of the crowd. There’s great momentum with this team. You can feel that. This is the most energy I’ve felt in this city since I’ve been here. The fans are jacked up. They’re into it.
“But we have to build our home court. Our group has to take pride in playing at home. We want this to be a hostile environment. That’s the goal here, and we’re building towards it. We’re not there, but we’re building towards it. … So I know our guys are excited to play in front of their home crowd. This is the best they’ve felt in front of this environment in Charlotte.”
They might need to get used to it, too, if the Hornets keep playing the way they are lately. Keyed by yet another profound performance by LaMelo Ball and an extremely aggressive Gordon Hayward, the Hornets earned a 121-118 victory over Indiana on Friday night.
By picking the Pacers apart, the Hornets (10-7) extended their winning streak to five games, marking the first time they’ve rattled off that many in a row since doing it from Feb. 14-27, 2018 wrapped around the All-Star break. Yes, it has been a while and perhaps that’s why the building is staying abuzz.
“They absolutely feel the crowd,” Borrego said. “Absolutely. You feel it when there is momentum with this team. Our guys feed off the crowd. When they are in it, our guys feel the energy. And hopefully vice versa. … I think it’s a great marriage and we are building off each other.
Here are three things we learned in the Hornets’ victory.
Ball on point
Ball’s shot was on essentially from the opening tip. and he rode the touch to a career-best 21 points in the first half, the most he’s totaled through two quarters. Nine quick first-quarter points got him going, and he really ignited the Hornets by posting his fifth double-double of the season with 32 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists.
Ball accounted for 63.6% of the Hornets’ offense in the second quarter alone, netting 12 points, recording four assists and nine points created off his passes. Once he was inserted back in the lineup with the score knotted at 37 midway through the second quarter, he sparked a 23-9 run with his step-back shots from deep, swooping drives into the lane and precise feeds to his teammates.
About that fourth quarter
A 25-point third-quarter edge dwindled to seven in the fourth quarter and things were slipping away from the Hornets. But they remained calm early and didn’t get flustered and rush shots, instead making sure they were a little more methodical in their approach.
They seized control again with a 14-2 run before yielding an 18-4 one to the Pacers. It’s a sign they still have to get better at closing the opposition out after the struggles they experienced earlier in the season and during their five-game losing streak that preceded their current winning stretch.
Time and score just wasn’t heeded enough, and they were lucky it didn’t come back to bite them.
Sharing is caring
Even though they have several playmakers who can create their own shot, the Hornets are at their best when the ball is moving and flowing freely from side to side. If they are playing a little too much one-on-one they get into trouble.
Against the Pacers, the Hornets racked up 28 assists on their 44 field goals. While it didn’t top the season-high 36 they amassed in their win over Portland on Halloween, it had that same kind of feel. The Hornets assisted on 13 of their initial 23 field goals and stockpiled 22 through three quarters.
