Charlotte Hornets show their ‘resiliency’ in stacking wins

TROY HULL | THE CHARLOTTE POST

Charlotte Hornets forward Miles Bridges looks to make a move against Dallas' Daniel Gafford in the Hornets' 110-105 win Monday at Spectrum Center. The victory was the Hornets' third straight and fourth in five games.

The Hornets are on a three-game win streak.

They’ve won four of their last five to improve to 11-28 after Monday’s 110-105 decision against the Dallas Mavericks. Despite losing Brandon Miller for an undisclosed amount of time due to a torn ligament in his wrist, Charlotte is finding success.

“Props to the guys,” coach Charles Lee said. “The fight is there and the ability to have flexibility. … Everyone being ready for their moment and their opportunity was cool to see. Mark [Williams] got in foul trouble early. I thought that was a great learning experience for him to try and learn to play with foul trouble. … Everyone had to step up to the plate and they did a really good job of responding.”

Charlotte guard Nick Smith Jr. finished with 19 points in the win and 15 in their prior win against Chicago. Lee is proud of the growth Smith has shown and his ability to provide a lift with Miller out of the lineup.

“Same ole Nicky,” Lee said with a chuckle. “He is a dynamic offensive player, and you can just see how he has earned the trust of everyone around him. He has earned that because of how hard he works on a day-to-day basis. They see the talent in him. We all watched his Greensboro [Swarm] minutes and saw how great of a job he did. I think he had a 33-point game, and he wants to impact winning and keep getting better.”

Although Dallas guard Kyrie Irving scored 33 points in 40 minutes, Lee thought the Hornets made shots tough for him and added LaMelo Ball is leaving his mark on the defensive end.

“I am very happy with the level of physicality that our whole squad had… in that fourth quarter, being aware that the fourth quarter is Irving's time, and they're going to play through him a lot right now,” Lee said. “And so, their awareness and their physicality on him. LaMelo has done a really good job, I think, of trying to understand how much he already impacts us offensively. But if you want to win in this league, you have to be able to play both sides of the ball. And he's, I think, elevating his mindset. He's elevating his kind of footprint on that defensive side, which I'm very happy to see.”

Irving, a 13-year veteran, praised Ball and thinks he has a bright future ahead.

“He’s got a good pedigree,” Irving said. “He comes from a family of pros. Lonzo has helped him out a lot. Even playing with [LiAngelo] too. I feel like they have a tight knit [bond]. It has always led to him being as confident as he is, just playing with older guys and having brothers that will beat up on him a little bit. I am happy for him and proud of him.”

The Hornets’ next two games are Jan. 24 and 25 against Portland and New Orleans. Both are at home and opportunities to extend their winning streak. Lee believes his team has shown resilience as they battled through injuries and fans can see what they can be when healthier.

“Resiliency is the best way to put it,” Lee said. “Dealing with adversity is what we talked about yesterday. Our quote of the day was, ‘tough times don't last, but tough people do,’ and I think everything we've been through just continues to make us stronger. We're focused on the right things and how we can impact winning and how we're obsessed with daily improvement and the togetherness in that locker room. I think it's pretty special, and so I’ve just been really happy no matter what we have or no matter who's available. The team just keeps making progress.”

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