GAMENOTES: Regular Season Game #66 Charlotte Hornets (16-49) vs. San Antonio Spurs (27-37) - March 14th, 2025

You won't believe what you're about to read. I WATCHED it and I barely believe it.

FINAL

Charlotte Hornets 145 (17-49) - San Antonio Spurs 134 (27-38)

THE BOXSCORE

WHY DID THEY WIN/LOSE? (AND OTHER IMPORTANT STORIES)

• No your phone/laptop isn’t broken. The Hornets put up 145 points in regulation against the San Antonio Spurs in a win that was way closer than it needed to be. Charlotte got off to an unbelievably hot start from 3 with Josh Green and Nick Smith Jr. hitting their first five 3 point attempts. LaMelo (7/11 from 3) soon joined the club and the Hornets pushed the lead to 31 at one point. The Spurs, without Wemby or Fox, wouldn’t go into the light thanks to shotmaking from Castle and Vassell and aggressive defense by Jeremy Sochan in the back half of the 3rd. The Spurs blowout brigade made the Hornets sweat a little in the final stages of the game but FOR ONCE it was the Hornets who built enough of a lead to win a game late.

• The Hornets set a franchise record with 26 made 3 pointers. They had 18 of those in the FIRST HALF.

  • LaMelo Ball, Nick Smith Jr. and Josh Green, 3 players who have been on the struggliest of buses offensively over the past 2 months led the charge and Marcus Garret who has been a Hornet for less than 10 days hit the record breaker. Incredible. Upside down.

• Before they let the rope go at the end of the 3rd, the Hornets were playing some of the sharpest, most decisive, fastest paced and confident offense I’ve seen them play all season.

• Before giving up 80 in the 2nd half they were also aggressive and smart on the defensive end. Shoutout to Mark Williams’ activity around the rim, LaMelo’s effort and lack of silly fouling and maybe most of all Josh Green’s pressure on the ball that forced so many turnovers.

  • It’s nice to see Josh Green proving he can impact on both ends. It would be insane to expect this from him every night. He has to find a middle ground of contributions.

• LaMelo Ball had 15 assists and previewed what he could do with just a few more knock down shooters. He now has 9+ assists in his last 3 games. 7+ in 5 out of his last 6 games. He’s slowly getting his groove back post-injury by playmaking more and chucking less.

  • The team finished with 42 assists which I have to think is ALSO a franchise record.

• 4 Hornets scored 20+. Mark Williams had a 14-10 double-double.

• Combined 53 points scored off turnovers by the Hornets (23) and Spurs (30).

• Incredible game that I’m not sure how many non-sicko Hornets fans saw because it coincided with an equally incredible UNC/Duke showdown in the ACC tourney

• Hornets sweep the season series against SAS. What does this win mean? There are sparks, glimmers of a team that could be something special. But it’s going to require a healthier, re-tooled roster that prioritizes the type of shooting and aggressive defense that the Hornets showed in the 1st half of this game. If it meant anything it was a cathartic release for a fanbase desperate for something positive to cling to. It’s March. It’s the Spurs without Wemby and Fox. But damn if it didn’t feel good.

NEWS AND NOTES