Decent defense relieves pressure on offense.

After a lackluster performance on the road in which they lost all five games and fell under .500 for the first time this season, the Charlotte Hornets have played with purpose at home. Holding Portland and Toronto under 100 points at Spectrum Center, Charlotte stands 8-1 in their last nine home games and 15-1 when holding opponents to under 100 points per game.

“The biggest thing is we are giving up less penetration,” coach Steve Clifford said after Friday’s 113-78 win against Toronto. “That’s been our problem, our one-on-one defense, our penetration on pick-and-roll plays, and that’s what leads to kick-outs, threes, layups, fouls. We’ve been better with that for two games.”

Two-thirds of the way through their five-game home stretch, the Hornets have improved to 22-21. With a quick turnaround against Brooklyn Saturday, don’t have much time to celebrate.

“We have to forget about it quickly,” Clifford said. ”We’ve got a team coming here tomorrow night that put 120 [points] on us the last time we played them. I just looked up, and they have 66 [points at New Orleans] in the second quarter tonight. So if you look at them, they’re scoring big numbers, and you know tomorrow night will be one of those nights that determine what kind of team we’re going to be. We’ve got to find a way to come back with the same concentration level, same attention to detail, and whatever you call it, defensive disposition, determination. These last two games we’ve been obviously locked in defensively.”  

Charlotte held Toronto to 30 points in the second half, clearing the bench in the third quarter. The Hornets’ bench outscored the Raptors 39-14, with guard Ramon Sessions scoring 10 points and center Frank Kaminsky adding 16 points and eight rebounds.

Point guard Kemba Walker (32 points, eight assists and four rebounds over three quarters against Toronto) has scored 55 points over the last two games. While Walker may not care about an NBA All-Star nod, his performance indicates that he’s certainly a part of the conversation.

“He’s our leader,” Kaminsky said. “He’s our heart and soul.”   

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