The Charlotte Hornets will try to add to their hottest stretch in a decade when the New Orleans Pelicans visit on Monday night.
The Hornets have been on the rise and are having sustained success, winning seven of their past eight games.
“It’s their connectiveness. It’s the work they put in every day together,” Hornets coach Charles Lee said of his players. “That group has really found a way. … It has been fun to watch.”
Charlotte’s six-game winning streak represents its longest in nearly 10 years. The Hornets last reached seven in a row in the first two weeks of March 2016, which coincides with the last time they made the NBA playoffs.
“We’re coming,” Hornets guard Collin Sexton said. “It’s going to take an everyday process. It’s not going to happen overnight.”
The Pelicans lost 124-114 to the host Philadelphia 76ers on Saturday night despite Saddiq Bey’s 34 points.
Former Hornets coach James Borrego has been New Orleans’ interim coach since Willie Green was fired in mid-November.
While Brandon Miller has taken over the Hornets’ role as leading scorer (20.8 points per game), there are a variety of players — think LaMelo Ball, Miles Bridges and Kon Knueppel — who can emerge as the go-to guy in any given game. Lee said it’s practical to make sure at least a couple of them are on the court at all times as he tries to manage the wear and tear for his players.
“So you don’t have too many reserves having to do more than they’re used to doing,” Lee said.
Miller has been Charlotte’s top scorer in eight of the past nine games. His 26 points Saturday led six players with a dozen or more points in an 111-106 home victory against the San Antonio Spurs.
Some of the Hornets’ depth could be in question, though. Josh Green logged 11 scoreless minutes Saturday after uncertainty about his availability due to an Achilles ailment. He has played in every game of the winning streak.
The Pelicans won the first meeting with Charlotte this season, prevailing 116-112 on Nov. 4 at home when Trey Murphy III’s 21 points led eight New Orleans players in double figures. Murphy, who averages 21.5 points per game, will be back in his home state of North Carolina for the Monday game.
Borrego has been waiting on Murphy to snap out of a shooting slump. He has hit just 7 of 40 3-point attempts across the past four games.
“I continue to trust him and believe in him and tell him to let it fly,” Borrego said. “Shoot the next open one.”
Bey has led the Pelicans in scoring in four of their past six games. Zion Williamson is the team’s leading scorer at 21.7 points per game. He has played in 35 of the Pelicans’ 51 contests. He missed the first Pelicans-Hornets matchup, as did Miller and Ball for Charlotte.
“When Zion is healthy, we’ve got a shot,” Borrego said.
The Hornets have had multiple game-time adjustments for home outings the past couple of weeks because of wintry storms striking the area, including the starting time for Saturday’s game being moved up three hours. They’ve managed to cope with the adjustments that come with those.
The Pelicans hold a 5-19 road record, though two of their victories have come in their last four road games.
The game on Monday will be the first of six home games out of 11 February assignments for Charlotte, which has moved up the NBA standings and stands just 1 1/2 games behind the Atlanta Hawks for the final Eastern Conference play-in position.
–Field Level Media
