The surging Charlotte Hornets hit a speed bump Friday on what appears to be their inexorable march to the postseason.
The Phoenix Suns managed to avoid one.
The Hornets had a six-game winning streak broken in a 128-120 home loss to Miami, but they will attempt to extend another — they have won 10 in a row on the road — against the host Suns on Sunday.
The Suns lost all but one point of a late 14-point lead and held on to beat New Orleans 118-116 on Friday.
“You know, we’ve talked a ton about how meaningful these games are in your last 20,” Charlotte coach Charles Lee said. “Everyone is fighting for seeding and fighting to get better and trying to ramp up their intensity to properly prepare for potential postseason action.”
The Hornets have been the hottest team in the league in the last seven weeks, going 16-4 to rise to the No. 10 spot in the Eastern Conference. They have a four-game lead over 11th-place Milwaukee but are also only three games back of sixth place with 18 games to play.
Charlotte won every game in its recent six-game streak by at least 15 points, tying the 2017-18 Golden State Warriors for the second-longest such streak in league history. The 2003-04 Detroit Pistons hold the record with eight.
Rookie of the Year candidate Kon Knueppel (27 points), Brandon Miller (22) and LaMelo Ball (21) led the Hornets against Miami, which rallied late when the Hornets committed seven of their 13 turnovers in the fourth quarter.
Knueppel made six 3-pointers and Ball had five.
“Go back to the drawing board,” Miller said. “Have a nice flight and just get back to what we do. Play into our strengths — transition baskets, getting stops on defense — and we’ll be fine.”
Charlotte has not lost a road game since falling to Golden State 136-116 on Jan. 17.
“You lose a high-level game to a good team that was also on a roll, and you just learn and grow and keep moving forward,” Lee said after the Miami loss.
The Suns, seventh in the Western Conference, rebounded from a two-point loss to Chicago to hold off the Pelicans. They are straddling the line for a guaranteed playoff spot, two games behind the No. 6 Los Angeles Lakers and 2 1/2 behind Denver in fifth.
Devin Booker (32 points) and Jalen Green (25) led the Suns in scoring against New Orleans, the first time the projected top guard combo had each scored 25 points in the same game this season. Injuries have limited Green to 15 games and 10 starts.
“His ability to get to the rim, his ability to get past defenders,” Suns coach Jordan Ott said of Green. “The underrated skill he has is his ability to make a play for a teammate. It’s great to see, especially the second night of a back-to-back.”
Booker scored 18 points in the third quarter when the Suns led by as many as 14 points while playing without Dillon Brooks (hand), Mark Williams (foot) and reserve Jordan Goodwin (calf).
Suns rookie reserve 7-foot-1 center Khaman Maluach, who will be called upon more behind new starter Oso Ighodaro in Williams’ absence, had four points, four rebounds, five blocked shots and two fouls in a season-high 20:15 of game time.
“It’s a great starting point,” Ott said. “Clean those (fouls) up and then he will be even better, and that’s what we’re looking for.”
–Field Level Media
