Hornets can't overcome abysmal first quarter, drops to Heat in first NBA Cup game

Defense continues to be an issue for the Charlotte Hornets.

Nov 7, 2025; Miami, Florida, USA; Miami Heat forward Jaime Jaquez Jr. (11) drives to the basket against Charlotte Hornets guard Tre Mann (23) during the fourth quarter of an NBA Cup game at Kaseya Center. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images | Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

In the Charlotte Hornets' first action of NBA Cup play, they fell to the Miami Heat by a 125-108 score. After the way the first quarter went, you have to give Charles Lee's squad credit for not going through the motions and accepting a loss. The Hornets have up an absurd 53 points in the opening quarter with Miami sinking a mind-boggling 10-of-15 shots from three-point range.

“We played bad defense,” Hornets rookie Kon Knueppel said. “We let them, especially on the ball, we let them go where they wanted to go, and that was with the pass or with the drive. I thought our resistance point was higher on the floor in that second quarter. You just can’t come out and play soft like that in the first quarter.”

In the second quarter, as Knueppel mentioned, the Hornets did a complete 180. Miami scored just 19 points and turned the ball over five times. Charlotte's improved play on the defensive end of the floor gave them a confidence boost that carried over to the other end, and by halftime, it was a three-point deficit.

Miami slowly but surely tacked on to its lead, and a 13-5 run over the final three minutes allowed them to win comfortably.

Best of the night: Kon Knueppel

The rookie set a new career-high with 30 points, going 9/23 from the floor and 5/13 from three-point range. It wasn't his most efficient night by any means, but he had the confidence to keep shooting it, and on a night when the Hornets were without LaMelo Ball and Collin Sexton, in addition to Brandon Miller, they needed that offense to come from somewhere.

Worst of the night: First quarter defense

If the Hornets don't give up a billion points in the opening quarter, there's a good chance they win this game. Captain Obvious, right? The bigger problem is that this big quarter is starting to become a theme for this group; it's just not always the first quarter. Eliminating the big 40+ point quarter has to happen sooner rather than later.

Up next: vs. Los Angeles Lakers, Monday at 7 p.m. ET.

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