The Charlotte Hornets mounted an impressive second-half comeback, outscoring the New Orleans Pelicans 53-31 after halftime to clinch a hard-fought 102-95 win at the Spectrum Center. This victory marks their seventh consecutive win, a milestone not achieved since their 2016 playoff season.
Coach Charles Lee lauded his team's defensive grit, particularly highlighting the efforts of Grant Williams (16 points, 9 rebounds) and Ryan Kalkbrenner (10 points, 7 rebounds, 3 blocks) in shutting down the paint. The Hornets' relentless attack on the boards was evident, dominating the Pelicans with a 70-46 rebounding advantage.
Ball & Miller Lead the Swarm
LaMelo Ball overcame an early head clash with coach Charles Lee to score 24 points, leading Charlotte to rally from a 22-point deficit and defeat New Orleans on Monday, securing their seventh straight win.
Kon Knueppel contributed 17 points, including four 3-pointers, while Brandon Miller and Grant Williams added 16 each as Charlotte closed in on the Atlanta Hawks, sitting just half a game behind for the Eastern Conference’s 10th spot.
Despite committing 17 turnovers, the Hornets matched their longest winning streak since March 2016.
Pelicans Struggle Despite Murphy’s Scoring Outburst
Trey Murphy III led New Orleans with 27 points, but the Pelicans have dropped six of their last nine games. Zion Williamson posted 14 points and 11 rebounds, while Derik Queen added 16 points.
Ball briefly exited in the first quarter with an eye cut after colliding with Lee while trying to save an errant pass, but returned minutes later. He scored 18 points in the first half with three 3-pointers. However, Charlotte still trailed 64-49 at halftime, shooting just 7-of-30 from three and committing 10 turnovers.
The Hornets surged in the fourth quarter, with Ball driving past defenders for a two-handed dunk to take the lead. Later, Miller—fresh off being named Eastern Conference Player of the Week—stole the ball from Herbert Jones at midcourt and finished with a soaring one-handed dunk, extending Charlotte’s advantage to nine points.
