GAMENOTES: Regular Season Game #1 Charlotte Hornets (0-0) at Houston Rockets (0-0) - October 23rd, 2024

LaMelo Ball lifts Hornets to a Season Opening Win Despite Injury to Brandon Miller

FINAL

Charlotte Hornets 110 (1-0) - Houston Rockets 105 (0-1)

THE BOXSCORE 

WHY DID THEY WIN? (AND OTHER IMPORTANT STORIES)

• The Hornets came back from 18 points down, on the road, having lost one of their best offensive weapons in Brandon Miller for the entire 2nd half and won their season opener. In the first half, the Hornets were significantly out-rebounded and bothered by Houston’s defensive pressure. Alpernen Sengun and Jalen Green were able to take advantage of their matchups in 1 on 1 situations to build a double digit lead. The Hornets didn’t play with the best ball discipline in the 2nd half but they stopped taking low quality threes, got to the rim with more consistently and finished possessions on the defensive end.

  • Hornets got out-rebounded 31-23 and gave up 19 second chance points in the 1st half. In the 2nd they out-rebounded the Rockets 33-12 and had 19 second chance points to Houston’s 2!

• LaMelo Ball put the team on his back in the second half and finished the game with 34 points on 50% shooting, 11 assists and 8 rebounds. When he started relentlessly attacking the basket it changed the entire game and put an aggressive Rockets defense on its heels. 

  • Ball shot 10/10 from the FT line. He’d use those drives later in the half to free up some space on his 3 points shots. According to Statmuse, this was LaMelo's 8th career game with 10 or more FTAs. 2 of the others came in January of this year, his final month of last season.

  • From Hornets PR: It marks his 5th career game with 30 points and 10 assists, passing Kemba Walker for the most such games in @hornets history.

• Brandon Miller injured his left hip in the 1st quarter and spent much of the second quarter in between the bench and the tunnel trying to get it stretched out. After attempting unsuccessfully to return to the game he was declared out in the 2nd half with left hip soreness. 

• Tre Mann 24 points “off the bench” but after Brandon exited it was up to him to fill the scoring void and he did. After the game, Charles Lee shouted out his physical defense on Jalen Green in the 2nd half. This continues a stellar preseason performance. 

  • Tre Mann led all Hornets with 10 second chance points. Behind him was LaMelo Ball with 9. Neither one of these gentleman are centers.

• Charles Lee gets his first win as head coach of the Charlotte Hornets in a game that embodied a lot of the platitudes he’s been trying to instill in his squad. Keep fighting. Keep improving. Committing to defense. Max effort even when you’re struggling offensively.

  • Lee went with a 10-man rotation for the opener. Moussa Diabate got 14:59 with Mark Williams out. Seth Curry got 26:20 with Josh Green out and Brandon Miller going down in the 1st half. LaMelo was your minutes leader at 37:55 with Tre Mann behind him at 28:57.

  • Tidjane Salaun got his first DNP-CD.

• Shouts to Grant Williams’ ball fake and 3 late, his ability to fall on a basketball and protect it, Miles Bridges’ rebounding, Seth Curry hitting 3s when no one else could early and a tip OREB late that helped seal the game and Nick Richards recovering from a tough 1st half to give Sengun a taste of his own post-medicine.

  • I’ve been hard on Nick for his preseason showing so it’s only fair to recognize when he finally woke up and started playing with purpose, aggression and IQ.

NEWS AND NOTES

• Mark Williams (L Foot) and Josh Green (Sore L Achilles) missed this game.

• Rockets missing Steven Adams. Center for a center.

• Starters: LaMelo, Martin, Miller, Bridges, Richards

• Charles Lee sporting LaMelo’s official LaFrance fashion brand gear for his pre and post game interviews. Love it.

THINGS I THINK I SAW

• 1ST QUARTER

  • 1:30+ before the first score. LaMelo scores the first points of the season on a handoff 3.