Hornets' record-breaking second half propels the team to a victory over the Wizards

Saturday night's loss leftthe fanbase of the Charlotte Hornets heartbroken as the team blew a double-digit lead that would have given them a 2-0 start to the season.

It was a quick turnaround for the Hornets, though, as the team traveled to the country's capital to take on the Washington Wizards.

From the jump, the game was close. The Hornets were sluggish to start, likely in part to the fact that they had played a close game just the night before. It was not a slow start from LaMelo Ball, though, who headed into the half had 23 of the team's 51 points.

THe Hornets trailed by 11 at the half. They were shooting 3-22 from three, 18-49 from the field, had 7 assists, and 7 turnovers.

It was a rough start from Miles Bridges, who at the half was shooting 2-7 from the field with 4 points. It seemed like it was headed in a blowout in Washington's direction, as the Wizards were getting whatever they would like on offense.

A little into the third quarter, the game flipped.

After a 3-22 start from deep, the Hornets three ball began to drop. They shot 12-16 in the second half, giving the Hornets a 27-8 run that helped give them an 11 point lead. It was propelled by LaMelo Ball, Sion James, and Kon Knueppel, who combined for 30 points in the third quarter.

The fourth quarter was even more tilted in the Hornets' favor as Miles Bridges finally began to catch fire. After a difficult start, Bridges recorded 15 fourth quarter points on 4-6 from the field, which helped give the Hornets another 27-8 run that helped pave the way to a 139-113 victory..

The Hornets improve to 2-1 on the young season, with their next matchup coming Tuesday against the Miami Heat.

Player(s) of the game: LaMelo Ball, Sion James, and Kon Knueppel

It's difficult to pick which one of these three deserves to be called the player of the game. So how about a paragraph for each?

LaMelo finished with 38 points, 13 rebounds, 13 assists, and 3 steals. It was the best game of the season for LaMelo, and may be the best entire game of his entire career. With no Brandon Miller, there was a much larger scoring load put on Ball. Boy, did he come through. LaMelo was in complete control of the game from the opening tip, despite the score not being in the Hornets favor at some points. He's now also averaging 2.3 steals on the season, and has recorded 3+ steals in both of the last two nights.

Sion came off the bench and helped provide the spark the Hornets needed to secure their second victory of the season. After the fanbase was upset that James did not receive closing minutes last night, James was key in the Hornets victory tonight. He was a +13 in the third quarter, recording 10 points, an assist, and a steal in 5 minutes. He went on to play 6 minutes in the fourth quarter, and recorded 3 points, another assist, and a block. Sion has looked exceptional thus far, and could poise to be a steal for Jeff Peterson.

Kon has been nothing short of phenomenal for the Hornets. His numbers have only gotten better through his first three games, and tonight he recorded 20 points on 7-12 from the field (5-9 from three). In the third quarter, Kon was able to help pave the way for the Hornets victory, scoring 11 points in 11 minutes and finishing as a +18. It's safe to say that so far, Jeff Peterson nailed the 2025 NBA Draft.

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