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The Charlotte Hornets began their first road trip of the season Saturday night against the Philadelphia 76ers. Charlotte hung around in the first half and, after a 38–25 third quarter, held a 10-point lead heading into the final period. Philadelphia then flipped the script, producing a lopsided 39–25 quarter of its own to rally and win by four points.
LaMelo Ball and Miles Bridges both put together near triple-double performances to lead the way for Charlotte. Ball finished with 27 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists, while Bridges added 18 points, nine rebounds and seven assists. Second-round pick Ryan Kalkbrenner also impressed, providing 14 points and seven rebounds on an efficient 7-for-7 shooting from the field. Fellow second-rounder Sion James contributed his first career double-digit scoring performance with 10 points and two rebounds on 4-for-5 shooting, including 2-for-2 from beyond the arc.
Despite several positives, there has been one common denominator in Charlotte’s early-season struggles: free throw shooting. Even in their season-opening win over the Brooklyn Nets, the Hornets struggled at the line. In that game, Charlotte shot 69.7% from the stripe, missing 10 free throws and finishing 23-for-33. Saturday night showed a similar trend, as the Hornets shot just 67.9%, missing nine free throws and finishing 19-for-28. Moussa Diabaté was the main culprit, missing five attempts on his own.
Free throws may seem like a minor detail in the box score, but in a league where margins are razor-thin, they can be the difference between victory and defeat. The Hornets appear poised to take a leap this season and improve on last year’s 14th-place finish in the Eastern Conference, but tightening up fundamentals will be crucial to closing out tight games.
Charlotte continues its road swing Sunday against the Washington Wizards, where the Hornets will look to clean up their mistakes at the stripe and bounce back.
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