Hornets Sting Spurs for Franchise Record 14th Consecutive Loss
Against a similarly performing opponent in the Charlotte Hornets, the San Antonio Spurs found themselves in a battle against history. Unfortunately, not all records are historic for the right reasons.
The Hornets handed the Spurs their 14th consecutive loss in a 120-110 defeat, a franchise-low for a team with five NBA championships.
Spurs rookie Malaki Branham took the compliments of Gregg Popovich quite well, indicative of his 23-point performance on 10-14 field goal shooting,
Hornets point guard LaMelo Ball recorded a triple-double with 28 points, 10 assists, and 12 rebounds, the ninth of his career.
In a game where both teams led by at least 10 points, it was a relatively close competition in the first half. After 11 lead changes, the Hornets turned the corner in the third quarter. Dennis Smith Jr. and Ball capitalized on attacking the rim by finishing or facilitating. Simply put, the Spurs couldn't keep the Hornets from the restricted area.
On the Spurs' end of the ball, they had problems near the rim as Hornets' center Nick Richards defended like his career was on the line, finishing with a career-high five blocks. For a bottom-five defensive team, the Hornets didn't get the memo.
Keldon Johnson couldn't buy a bucket with a digital promotion. On a 1-4 line from deep, Johnson's shooting was anemic; he had a shot missed so hard it bounced back directly to him in the left corner, only to fail the follow-up attempt.
In the fourth quarter, it seemed like the Spurs found their chance to retake the lead. However, the Hornets kept them close enough for hope but far enough to stave off any mini-run by San Antonio.
The Spurs now head into the All-Star Break with a chance to re-evaluate things. Their next game comes next Thursday against Luka Doncic, Kyrie Irving and the Dallas Mavericks.
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