CLEVELAND — This may sound familiar: The Charlotte Hornets fell behind by a large margin and needed a huge rally to get back into it.
And for the second time in three nights, they got it done in their cardiac style.
Fueled by a 19-2 run, a solid second-half showing from Miles Bridges, Gordon Hayward and Kelly Oubre, the Hornets ran past Cleveland, 123-112, at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse on Friday night.
“We put on another great run there similar to the last game,” coach James Borrego said.
Here are three things we learned in their victory over the Cavs:
Kelly’s bench boost
Borrego inserted Oubre in the first quarter as one of the first subs and the seventh-year pro, who started in the season opener for an injured Terry Rozier, paid immediate dividends. Making all but one of his initial four shots, his eight quick points off the bench were beneficial for the Hornets’ sluggish offense at the outset.
Oubre was the main catalyst for Charlotte until Bridges got hot, tossing in 17 of his 25 points in the first half. What’s noteworthy is the fashion in which he got it done. He did it in a variety of ways, firing from 3-point range and also driving to the basket. His struggles beyond the 3-point arc in his lone season with Golden State were well-documented, but he has been respectable shooting from deep in his short time with the Hornets.
Slightly cooling off after draining 2 of 3 attempts from 3-point range in the first half, he finished 4 of 7 and is 6 of 16 through these two games. Hitting that shot on a consistent basis should keep the defenders honest and not allow them to slack off so much on Oubre during drives.
Miles was a beast
Everyone knows about Bridges’ high-flying style. He has his eyes set on becoming more well-rounded, and it begins with one thing in particular.
“My playmaking,” Bridges said. “If I can create for others, then I could be anywhere on the floor and make plays without just putting the ball in the basket. So I just want to make plays for others.”
He did that and then some against the Cavs. Bridges was a force with 30 points and seven rebounds, displaying a good stroke beyond the 3-point arc and knifing through the paint frequently.
PJ in good mental space
PJ Washington hasn’t put up any massive numbers offensively yet. Certainly not like he did when he netted seven 3-pointers in his debut in 2019 and poured in 27 points, a franchise rookie record in a regular-season opener.
After posting a modest five points and making 1 of 7 shots against Indiana in the opener, he followed that performance with eight points and five rebounds. Although he hasn’t got it going from 3-point range yet, his ability to stretch the defense and provide the Hornets with a different look at the center position is something Borrego wants to take advantage of as much as possible.
After posting a modest five points and making 1-of-7 shots against Indiana in the opener, he followed that performance with eight points and five rebounds. Although he hasn’t got it going from 3-point range yet, his ability to stretch the defense and provide the Hornets with a different look at the center position is something Borrego wants to take advantage of as much as possible.
