Wondering about the article’s picture? I like to use that one when a game is lost because of turnovers. Sick humor? Maybe. Did this make you laugh? I hope so.
A team cannot commit more turnovers than the other team and expect to win a game. This is especially true when 25+ points come off of those turnovers. That’s exactly what happened tonight. Our Hornets turned the ball over 18 times. While the final score of 97-94 paints a beautiful picture, the game itself could have had a more beautiful outcome, if we had taken better care of the basketball. We fought hard in the 4th, and came roaring back, but we should have never been that far behind.
New addition, Nic Batum, donated 7 of tonight’s turnovers on his own. What was his positive for the night? He led the team in scoring, notching 14 points off of 6-10 shooting. He also grabbed 11 rebounds, 4 assists, and a steal.
Marvin and Kemba each gave us 13 point tonight. Marvin added 12 rebounds, 3 assists, and a block while Kemba gave us 4 rebounds, 6 assists, and a steal. Next in line was Jeremy Lin, who contributed 12 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists, and a steal. Jeremy Lamb, in a little over 14 minutes of play, chipped in 11 points, 2 rebounds, an assist, and 2 blocks. I believe we need to be seeing Lamb starting over Hairston, who in his 16 minutes of play, gave us 3 points off of 1 of 5 shooting again, a rebound, and a block.
Al Jefferson had an honorable 10 points and 11 rebounds, as well as a steal and 2 blocks.
Everyone who played tonight, scored. Frank Kaminsky’s first basket as an NBA player came tonight. It was a 3-pointer. A couple plays later and he made a beautiful floater shot from the foul line. Frank also had 3 rebounds and an assist. Welcome to the NBA my friend. Spencer Hawes finished the night with 8 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 steals. Wrapping up the scoring discussion was Cody Zeller with 5 points, 2 rebounds, and a steal.
Al, PJ, Cody, and Frank were the only players to not turn the ball over.
I hate to dwell on those turnovers, but that is what cost us the game. Without them, the game wouldn’t have even been close.
I was glad to see that we were a 40% 3-point shooting team tonight, but seeing that we took 30 attempts made me feel very concerned. It points me towards the “live by the 3, die by the 3” philosophy. While we want to play the Golden State type of game, I do believe that some times down the court, going “old school” with Al in the paint may not be a bad idea. It looked at many times like our guys were about to pass out. When a team runs, the occasional “post up play” to let Al burn some clock is OK so that the wings can catch their breath.
Now we move on to face Atlanta again at home for our season opener. I will be in attendance for the game, so the next recap won’t be posted until sometime on Monday. It’s an hour drive for me in each direction to catch a game in CLT; so, you have to bear with me. We still have a lot to work on, but I can say, aside from the turnovers, the team played well. If we get the turnovers cleaned up, and perhaps run with Kemba, Lamb, Batum, Marvin, and Al starting the game, we will see a better result. I do, however, believe that a starting 5 of Kemba, Lin, Batum, Marvin, and Al would help us to build a much better cushion. We just have to hope that Brian Roberts can cover as the backup PG. He’s looked pretty decent as of late. Repetition is key, and he didn’t get any tonight.
Time to hit the sack. Everyone have a great Halloween tomorrow and be safe. I hope I can see some of you at the game Sunday. If you’re curious where I’ll be, send me a message on Twitter or Facebook, and I’ll gladly share it with you.
As always…
Let’s Go Hornets!
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