The Charlotte Hornets had their three-game winning streak snapped on their home floor by the Phoenix Suns on Sunday. In the first quarter, the Suns jumped out to a big lead, but the Hornets ended the quarter on a 12-4 run to crawl back within nine points. But after that, things just got out of hand and the Suns pulled away.

The game looked just like what happened when the Hornets played the Suns in Phoenix. The defending Western Conference champions dictated the pace the whole game with their physicality, shot-making, and smart decisions on both sides of the ball.

After dropping their first meeting, one would have thought that the Hornets would have come out with more energy, right? Well, Kelly Oubre Jr. would agree.

“Yeah, I'm definitely surprised we didn't play to the best of our ability,” Oubre said. “We prepare to go into these games with the utmost confidence in ourselves. Obviously, this is something we have to learn and grow from.”

The Hornets faced off against one of the league's elite teams, and they shouldn’t need anyone to light a fire under them. There is no excuse why they couldn't have made the game a little more competitive. Coming off of three straight wins should have instilled more confidence in the young team. Instead, they came out flat. Hornets coach James Borrego had plenty to say about that.

“You're never as bad as you think you are and you're never as good as you think you are. I think that's the bottom line. You come in here comfortable. Thinking you won three in a row and you're just going to show up and win games? That's just not the reality in this league against a team like that. Very humbling experience tonight,” Borrego said.

He was visible pretty upset with his team's performance, but also encouraged his guys to learn from it and move on. On a brighter note, Miles Bridges made his return after missing 10 days due to health and safety protocols. He had 10 points on 4-of-9 shooting. He knows it's going to be a little bit of a process to find his rhythm, but he feels fine physically.

“I'm good. I was actually more energized than I thought I was going to be,” Bridges said. ” I just need to find some rhythm. We have a great offense. Me coming back changes some things, so I just want to get adjusted. We need to get back to how we were playing when I wasn't out there.”

Bridges does a lot for the Hornets on both sides of the floor. His production will be huge once he is able to find his groove again. The Hornets are a young team in the thick of the playoff hunt right now and they're still trying to find out who they are. At least in terms of their actual identity, according to Bridges.

“We're still trying to figure it out. We have a lot of guys that can put the ball in the hole. Once we gel it all together, we're gonna be tough to beat. But we have to focus on the defense more. Our defense is where we're struggling. When we get better at that, we can get out in transition offense, where nobody can stop us,” Bridges said.

The Hornets do play with one of the fastest paces in the league and score with flair in transition. Great defense does lead to easier opportunities, so Bridges is right on the money.

The Hornets, however, have to hit the reset button. They take on the Washington Wizards on the second end of a back-to-back. Hopefully, they can bury the loss quickly and get their first win of 2022.