Takeaways from the Charlotte Hornets' Victory Against Mark Williams and the Phoenix Suns

After watching the Miami Heat, the Orlando Magic, and the Toronto Raptors lose on Wednesday night, the Charlotte Hornets had to capitalize on the opportunity that was in front of them.

Currently the eight seed in the tightly-packed East, a win against the Suns would increase the Hornets' chances at securing a top eight seed in the conference, guaranteeing themselves at least two chances in the Play-In Tournament to secure their spot in the real playoffs for the first time in a decade.

After a slow start, Charlotte hit the gas, blitzed Phoenix, and ran to an easy victory in the friendly confines of the Spectrum Center.

Below is a series of thoughts, stats, and highlights from the game bundled into a neat package called the four-point play.

One Play of the Game

I'm not sure if another team in the league gets beat backdoor more than the Charlotte Hornets.

It is an epidemic that has plagued players up and down the roster, and the illness struck Kon Knueppel midway through the second quarter. Jalen Green, one of the more explosive athletes in the NBA, caught Knueppel slipping, but Ryan Kalkbrenner had the back of his fellow rookie.

Ryan Kalkbrenner rejects Jalen Green high soaring dunk attempt, and Coby White hits the 3-pointer at the other end (with replays) pic.twitter.com/oAHjd0QUlJ
— MrBuckBuck (@MrBuckBuckNBA) April 2, 2026

Two Game-Defining Stats

69-46 second and thid quarter aggregate score
35 defensive rebounds

It took the Hornets a quarter to find their sea legs in this game. Phoenix punched them early, knocking down tough buckets in the half court that Charlotte never had a chance at stopping.

After a stern talking to from Charles Lee just two minutes into the second quarter, things turned around. Some Coby White transition wizardry, a barrage of three pointers, increased defensive communication, and ratcheted up intensity on the glass flipped the game in favor of the home team.

That intensity on the glass was mostly felt on the defensive end.

A major pillar of Charles Lee's basketball belief system revolves around controlling the possession battle on the boards, and his Hornets team did a masterful job at forcing the Suns into one-and-done possessions.

Three Players of the Game

Coby White

Coby White was the best player on the floor in the second quarter.

With Charlotte in an eight point hole after one stanza, White took it upon himself to lead a comeback. He poured in 12 first half points, secured three rebounds, and dished a pair of assists. His ability to make plays after getting a foot in the paint can only be matched by LaMelo Ball on the Hornets' roster and it has revolutionized Charlotte's bench-heavy units.

LaMelo Ball

If you missed the game, go back and watch LaMelo's third quarter stint and be amazed by some of the dimes he thew in the period.

Pass-first LaMelo Ball will always be my favorite version of the mercurial point guard, because there's truly a small handful of players who have touched the floor in the history of the NBA that possess the combination of size, skill, and IQ that Ball does. He just sees the game with 20/20 vision that leads to highlights like this.

AIR BNB ✈️ #HiveMentality @MELOD1P x @MilesBridges | 📹 @FDSN_Hornets pic.twitter.com/7CUWrlfIru
— Charlotte Hornets (@hornets) April 3, 2026

Miles Bridges

Bridges is rounding into form at the right time.

After struggling in his return from suspension, Miles has turned back into the mismatch-hunting, hard-nosed defending, just-good-enough-shooting role playing power forward that really compliments Charlotte's three perimeter stars.

Four Takeaways from the Win

1. Don't Blink or You'll Miss It

The Hornets' ability to bury teams with a barrage of three-pointers is *looks to avoid inevitable strike coming down from the basketball gods that are angry with me for making this comparison* 2016 Warriors-lite.

Charlotte can heat up microwave-quick, and if opposing defenses aren't aware of where one of their snipers is the second they cross half court, a Hornets' lead can balloon in an instant. They went on a 14-6 run in the first three minutes of the second half, extending their lead from two to 14 before the majority of fans returned to their seats with their popcorn.

2. Ryan Kalkbrenner is a Game-Changer

Unamused by the Hornets' defensive effort, Charles Lee called a timeout with 10:45 remaining in the second quarter and replaced Moussa Diabate with Ryan Kalkbrenner.

The rookie's rock solid defense and offensive connection with Coby White kickstarted Charlotte's second quarter comeback, and heading into halftime, the veteran point guard gave the youngin' his flowers.

🎙️ Coby White: "It really started with Ryan (Kalkbrenner), his presence on both ends of the floor screening, creating second-chance opportunities, that huge block on the backdoor dunk… it was Ryan's physicality and the force he played with that set the tone." pic.twitter.com/vGp0b64EwT
— r/CharlotteHornets (@HornetsReddit) April 3, 2026

3. Brandon Miller's Foul Trouble

On a scale of 1-10, how concerned are you with Brandon Miller's foul problems?

He conitnuously picks up ticky tack fouls that send him to the bench far-too-early in games. It would be one thing if opposing offenses were relentlessly attacking Miller on drives, forcing the third-year wing to pick up shooting fouls, but Miller's fould troubles have mostly come away from the ball.

If the Hornets make the playoffs, this will be something to monitor. They rely on Miller to create offense alongside Coby White in lineups that include defensive-minded players like Grant Williams, Sion James, and Josh Green, and if he continues to glue himself to the bench with foul troubles, the onus will be on Kon Knueppel and LaMelo Ball to pick up his slack.

4. Another Kon Knueppel Record

With a fourth quarter Knueppel triple, his 261st of the season, Kon broke Kemba Walker's single-season three-point record of 260 makes.

As a rookie.

With five games left in the season.

Absurd stuff.

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