CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Knowing the position the Charlotte Hornets were in and embarking on a rare home game, Terry Rozier recalled the message scribbled in marker on Monday.
“That’s something we put on the board after the (Orlando) game,” Rozier said. “The main thing you want to do is protect home court. We want to win as much as you can at home.”
They’re still having a bit of trouble doing just that.
Not only did the Hornets fail to defend their home court again, succumbing to Indiana, 125-113, at Spectrum Center on Wednesday night, they may have lost their All-Star point guard after he left the game late in the fourth quarter and never returned.
Here are some takeaways from the Hornets’ ninth loss in their past 10 games:
LaMelo reinjured
Three games into his return, LaMelo Ball is injured again.
Ball tweaked his left ankle with just over two minutes remaining in the fourth quarter. He chased down a loose ball in front of the Hornets’ bench and stepped on a fan’s foot. He immediately began limping, headed straight to the bench and then into the locker room.
Ball ignited the Hornets in the second half prior to coming up gimpy, pumping in 16 of his game-high 26 points and hitting a season-best five 3-pointers.
Jekyll and Hyde second
A microcosm of the Hornets’ early-season fate was on full display in the second quarter. There was plenty of good and also a slew of frustrating moments.
They jumped out to a 13-point edge courtesy of some sizzling shooting fueled by 12 points from PJ Washington. He scored 11 of the Hornets’ initial 13 points of the quarter and six 3-pointers — a season best for any quarter — had the Hornets in control.
Still, things could have been even better than a three-point halftime advantage if they closed out the final minutes of the quarter with some improved decision-making. They had two brutal turnovers in the final 41.9 seconds that aided Indiana’s 11-1 run to close the half.
Kelly cleans up
Where would the Hornets be without Kelly Oubre? The swingman was really upset with himself last week because he didn’t think he was hitting the glass hard enough.
That wasn’t an issue against the Pacers.
Oubre amassed a career-high seven offensive rebounds and pulled down 13 rebounds total. His final offensive board handed the Hornets a 104-102 edge with 5:56 left in the fourth. Once again, he was key for the Hornets with Gordon Hayward still injured, pumping in 17 points.
And another one
It’s getting to the point where anytime someone on the Hornets suffers an injury, the diagnosis is the same. All the way down to the exact area of their body, too.
Mark Williams is the latest to join their list of literally walking wounded. The rookie got injured on Tuesday during his assignment with the G League’s Greensboro Swarm and wasn’t available to play against the Pacers, sitting on the bench in street clothes. Williams sprained his left ankle, joining the likes of Ball and Dennis Smith Jr.
Pairing them with the right ankle sprain Rozier collected in their regular-season home opener means the Hornets have already had more than their fair share of sore lower extremities.
Williams was coming off two good games with the Swarm, averaging 24 points, 14 rebounds and 2.7 blocks per game in his short stint.
“Mark’s in a boot — or he was this morning, so he wasn’t able to do shootaround,” coach Steve Clifford said. “But I love what he and Bryce (McGowens) have done in Greensboro. Right attitude, they went down there and played within the team concept. They played very efficiently. And they like it, which is not always the case. A lot of young guys don’t want to go down there, and they realize that it’s important for their development. So again, you have the right attitude, you benefit from that.”
