The Hornets take down the Jazz behind dazzling performance from the 'core four'

Wednesday night's fourth quarter in Utah was basketball nirvana for long-time Charlotte Hornets fans.

Mark Williams dominated on both ends of the floor. LaMelo Ball attacked the basket with reckless abandon. Miles Bridges finished plays. Brandon Miller spaced the floor and created openings for his teammates. When dreaming about the ceiling of the 'core four,' this is what Hornets fans think of when they rest their heads on the cold side of their pillows.

Charlotte's 'core four' accounted for 103 of the team's 117 points, highlighting the major flaws of the Hornets roster outside of their starting unit. Josh Green continued to struggle on offense as Cody Martin closed the game as Charlotte's shooting guard down the stretch.

While the performance of the Hornets' starters deserves boundless praise, immense context is necessary. Utah was down their four leading scoress, Lauri Markkkanen, Colin Sexton, Jordan Clarkson, and John Collins, opening up opportunities for unheralded guards Keyontae George and Brice Sensabaugh to dice the Hornets' defense.

Best of the night: Mark Williams dominates

Mark Williams was scintillating on Wednesday night. The Hornets' ascendant center poured in a career high 33 points in a dominating outing that answered any lingering questions about his ceiling as an NBA center. He's a legitimate two-way monster.

Williams threw down dunk after dunk from all sorts of angles and passes while making life in the paint difficult for Walker Kessler and Kyle Filipowski every time they touched the paint on offense. It's been a long time since a Charlotte center dominated a game like that, and if it continues, the Hornets have a limitless talent in their front court.

Mark Williams' per-36 this season:

23.4 pts
14.2 rebs
3.5 asts / 1.9 to
66% FG
76% FT

If he can Just. Stay. Healthy. 🙏🏽 https://t.co/TBFpbgZIi7
— Div B (@statcenter) January 16, 2025

Worst of the night: Charlotte's bench

The Hornets' bench put up an absolute stinker on Wednesday night. A 4-14 shooting night carried by Cody Martin's 3-4 three-point shooting performance and dragged down by Nick Smith Jr.'s 0-5 shooting night was the reason the game was so close. Charlotte's starters were good enough to dominate the Jazz, but they were hamstrung by a listless bench performance.

Stat of the night: 66 points in the paint

The Hornets were without the services of both the newly traded Nick Richards and the G-League assigned Moussa Diabate, leaving them with a massive size disadvantage in Utah. It didn't matter. Ball, Bridges, and Williams found their way into the painted area all night, scoring the ball in a number of ways to carry Charlotte to victory.

Highlight of the night: Mark Williams throws down his eighth dunk

EIGHT DUNKS FOR THE CONDOR 💥 #HiveMentality | @MarkWi1liams pic.twitter.com/mpL7RtRjIt
— Hornets On FanDuel Sports Network (@FDSN_Hornets) January 16, 2025

Any one of Williams' dunks could have been highlighted here, but he saved the best for last.

Charlotte's next contest is on Friday night in Chicago. Tip-off is set for 8 P.M.

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