Hornets go berserk from three and tie an NBA record in win over Atlanta

It didn't take long to realize last night was going to be one of those nights for the Charlotte Hornets where seemingly everything they threw up was going in.

LaMelo Ball exploded out of the gates with seven three-pointers in the first half, making quite the statement in his first game in over two weeks. He added one more in the second half, and his teammates, Kon Knueppel (6/12) and Brandon Miller (4/7), were also scorching red hot from downtown.

In the first half alone, the Hornets tied an NBA record for the most threes made in a half with 18, tying the 2021 Utah Jazz, 2021 Phoenix Suns, 2023 Indiana Pacers, 2024 Milwaukee Bucks, 2024 Brooklyn Nets, 2024 Golden State Warriors, and last year's Hornets squad.

"The quick decision to shoot, drive, or pass is important because it keeps the defense moving, and I think collectively we did that tonight," Kon Knueppel said in his TV postgame interview. "It created a lot of easy shots around the rim, a lot of wide-open threes, and a lot of them fell tonight."

🎙️ Kon Knueppel: "The quick decision to shoot, drive or pass is important because it keeps the defense moving, and collectively we did that tonight. It created a lot of easy shots around the rim, a lot of wide-open threes, and a lot of them fell tonight."@Kon2Knueppel Postgame: pic.twitter.com/zAplqOjMZV
— r/CharlotteHornets (@HornetsReddit) December 19, 2025

“It didn’t feel, at least to me, like we were taking turns or whatever," Knueppel said when asked about each of the core heating up at different times by our own Matt Alquiza. "It felt very natural within the flow of the offense. We were just creating great shots for each other, and that’s how we want to play. I thought Melo did a great job early in the first half, taking the right ones when he was getting them, but also making those extra passes like he does. That was contagious. We ended with 39 assists on 49 made shots. That’s pretty good ball.”

Obviously, what happened last night isn't going to be the situation every time the trio takes the floor together, but it does strike a sense of fear into the opponent, knowing any night can be one of those nights. And having three guys who can score it at a high level lessens the pressure on the team as they can overcome one or maybe even two of those guys having a rough shooting night.

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