Regular Season Game #15 Charlotte Hornets (5-9) vs. Detroit Pistons (7-9) - November 21st, 2024

Brandon Miller takes over in OT after LaMelo Ball fouls out (again)

FINAL/OT

Charlotte Hornets 123 (6-9) - Detroit Pistons 121 (7-10)

THE BOXSCORE 

WHY DID THEY WIN? (AND OTHER IMPORTANT STORIES)

• After throwing away a 20 point lead in regulation the Hornets avoid an epic collapse thanks to Brandon Miller’s  clutch shot making (15 points in 4Q + OT) and incredible defensive playmaking. Miller took the game over when LaMelo Ball fouled out seconds into OT. He finished with 38 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists and 4 steals on 57% shooting and 8 made 3s. One of those 4 steals was an amazingly timed mid-air snatch of a Pistons lob attempt. He was impactful in nearly every area of the game. 

  • His teammates and Coach Lee are continuing to encourage Miller to come out of his scoring shell and take over more often. He certainly did in OT where he was 3 of 5 and besides a few Mann possessions controlled the entire frame. 

• LaMelo Ball had 35 points, 6 rebounds and 9 assists. His 4 assists helped them get off to a great offensive 1st quarter. His 13 points in the 3rd  helped extend their lead to 20. But his foul trouble, much of it his own making, kept him off the floor for too long in regulation and then out of the game entirely just seconds into OT. Whether you think that final call was a foul or whether you call that in that situation, you can’t argue that had LaMelo been more responsible earlier in the game he would not have been in that situation. In fact, LaMelo wouldn’t argue it. He admitted after the game that 3 of his fouls were silly. He was 2-6 from the field, 0 assists, 2 turnovers in 8 minutes of 4th quarter action.

  • Bottom line: he’s benched himself way more this season than his coach has.

• Moussa Diabate got his first start as a Hornet with Miles Bridges still nursing knee soreness and he was as he has been all season, the most physical player on the floor with the Hornets. He doesn’t care if he scores all he wants to do is hit his man, box out his man and out rebound his man. He finished with 1 point and 16 rebounds, 7 of those offensive and 3 steals. 

• Cody Martin was the leading scorer off the bench with 15 but it was his strip steal of Tobias Harris in OT that saved the Hornets from a buzzer beating loss.

• Grant Williams fouled Cade Cunningham and Cade took a hard spill. He wasn’t available for the OT period. He had 27 points, 10 assists and 7 rebounds but the Hornets made him take a lot of shots (9/26) to get there. Jaden Ivey same situation (3/11). Tobias Harris and his 27 (rough estimate) corner 3s and the Pistons bench gave them way more trouble. 

NEWS AND NOTES

• Coach Charles Lee went on Kyle Bailey’s radio show on WFNZ and said there was no message being sent in the 4th quarter benching of LaMelo against the Nets on Tuesday. But he also said they had a conversation about it so….