Health is a virtue: Robust Hornets surge to .500 mark 

NBAE

Miles Bridges look to pass as Max Christie defends in the Charlotte Hornets 117-90 win against the Dallas Mavericks on March 3 at Spectrum Center. The Hornets (31-31) reached .500 for the first time since the season's fourth game.

Healthy Hornets are a threat, no question about it.

Fresh off a 117-90 win over the Dallas Mavericks, Charlotte (31-31) reached .500 for the first time since four games into the season. Coach Charles Lee applauded their fight, the long road to this point, and building upon it. 

“It’s a testament to the hard work these guys are putting in every day,” Lee said. “I think we’re seeing the fruits of our labor and we’re getting better and better in a lot of different areas. Today, to execute some of our offensive sets and execute an end-of-quarter 2-for-1 a little bit better, so I’m really proud of the growth we’re making. I think we’re getting a lot of contributions from a lot of guys at different moments in the game, and it’s helping us a ton.”

The Hornets, who are ninth in the Eastern Conference, are getting a lot of contributions from their starters, but bench depth has also been critical in their climb. 

“The bench, I actually thought the whole team, at moments, had really good spurts,” Lee said. “I thought Brandon [Miller] had a really good first quarter, I thought [La]Melo [Ball] kept us steady a lot of times and was able to execute some lobs. I think Grant [Williams] came in, Josh [Green] came in, gave us really big minutes. Sion [James] gave us really big minutes, I think Ryan [Kalkbrenner] was much better in his second stint. As a team, we really had a lot of really good moments. …

“To hold a team under 100 again, to win every quarter, that’s a testament to our guys and the consistency they showed with their competitive spirit.”

“Every game is not going to be an offensive game,” Miller said of Charlotte, which has held opponents under 15 times this season, “so it’s about finding ways to affect the game [defensively], and of course, everybody having that two-way mindset goes a long way. Whether it’s us helping the helpers, a shift, a weakside block, or whatever it is, it’s always about being there for each other.”

Williams said when he was traded to Charlotte, talks about changing the culture were at the forefront. He’s excited about the trajectory they’re on.

“Charlotte has always been a gold mine, and I think that the Hornets organization is the same thing,” Williams said. “We have a lot of people who believe in us. It’s a premier organization that we are trying to establish, and not just across the Charlotte area in North Carolina, it’s South Carolina, Virginia and all the fans around us and across the country or across the world. So [it’s a] super exciting direction that we’re headed and to be a part of it is definitely a blessing.”

With Ball, Miller, Kon Knueppel, Miles Bridges and Moussa Diabate as starters, the Hornets are 19-2. Miller said there is still a long way to go, starting tonight at Boston (41-20).

“We have a tough game tomorrow with a great crowd,” Miller said. “So, I just focus on that and just putting together another win in a tough environment... It shows how hard we work, but we focus on the next game instead of just the numbers. Once we keep piling up these wins, we’ll probably be way over .500. So, [the goal is] keep piling wins and play with that confidence.”

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