The Charlotte Hornets are trying to keep their attention on the court amid numerous distractions.
The Hornets still might go into their Saturday night game against the visiting New Orleans Pelicans a bit rattled — and not just because they have lost consecutive games.
Charlotte absorbed a 102-97 home defeat against the Portland Trail Blazers on Friday.
Shortly after that, the Pelicans took a 139-126 road loss against the Memphis Grizzlies, allowing 77 points in the second half as a season-best four-game winning streak ended.
“We have to be more consistent with putting together four quarters,” said Pelicans coach Willie Green, whose team led by nine points at halftime.
The Hornets played Friday without LaMelo Ball and Miles Bridges, two of their most productive players recently. Ball sat because of a sprained right wrist, while Bridges was sidelined due to lower back spasms.
On Thursday, Ball wasn’t named an All-Star starter, something that drew a response from several people in Charlotte and seemed to create some drama. Ball is averaging 29 points per game (fourth best in the NBA) to go with 7.5 assists and 5.4 rebounds per contest.
“I know how much he wanted it,” Hornets coach Charles Lee said of the All-Star starter designation. “I know how much we wanted it for him as an organization. I think his numbers kind of speak for themselves. … I hope that they see all that he contributes to our team and how he makes everybody around him better.”
Complicating matters for the Hornets is that Cody Martin, who was listed Friday as questionable on the pre-game injury report because of groin tightness, was in the starting lineup yet logged only five minutes. In addition, guard Seth Curry, who has filled in when there have been backcourt injuries, sat out with a sprained right ankle.
The Pelicans had concerns about the availability for guard Dejounte Murray (right elbow bursitis) and center Yves Missi (illness) in advance of their Friday game. Murray ended with 26 points, seven assists and six rebounds, while Missi had 10 points and five boards in 30 minutes.
Now, it will be a matter of whether they are up to speed enough to play on back-to-back nights.
Jordan Hawkins could play a bigger role, if needed, after he racked up 20 points off the bench at Memphis.
The Pelicans looked to be in good shape for a fifth straight win after producing their highest scoring first half of the season and taking a 71-62 edge into the locker room.
“I thought we started off the game in the first half really good,” Green said. “Solid on both ends, forcing them to take contested shots. The second half was totally different. They came out and they were the aggressors, and we could never get back into a rhythm and settle the game down.”
It’s possible Zion Williamson could be back for the Pelicans in Charlotte. He has missed the past two contests due to an illness.
The Saturday game will be the second of three road outings for New Orleans across a four-night span. The busy stretch comes after unexpected down time for the Pelicans, whose scheduled Wednesday home game against the Milwaukee Bucks was postponed due to a winter storm in Louisiana.
The Pelicans hold a 4-17 road record.
Charlotte center Mark Williams scored a career-best 38 points on Wednesday at Memphis but was held to 13 points on Friday. The key for Williams will be making sure he is a factor at the defensive end even if his point totals waver.
“Defensively, I want to continue to see him grow, help us dominate the paint,” Lee said.
–Field Level Media
