The Charlotte Hornets defeated the Orlando Magic 120-111. Miles Bridges continued his early season onslaught, finishing with 31 points. Gordon Hayward also chipped in with 24 points while shooting an efficient 9/13 from the field and closed out the game down the stretch of the fourth quarter.
With those two combining for nearly 60 points, many would have thought this game was a blowout. However, the Hornets got off to a really sluggish start, but the bench picked up the slack. They scored 21 bench points in the first quarter alone. Charlotte definitely needed that extra help all throughout the game as well.
For starters, LaMelo Ball couldn't find a rhythm all game long. He shot 21 percent from the field and had three assists in Orlando. The Magic's defense did a good job crowding him all game and taking away easy shots for him in transition. It isn't anything to worry about though. Every superstar in the NBA has bad games on daily basis, so this a just a slight bump in the road. That's where picking up a veteran point guard like Ish Smith comes in handy.
Not to mention the rest of the bench that came in and played well with the starters as the game waned on. Coach James Borrego did a good job mixing up the rotations and allowed the hot guys to stay in the game together. Jalen McDaniels and Cody Martin combined for 28 points off the bench. Both guys did a lot of their damage in the second half of the game to help Charlotte pull away.
The bench played great, but Miles Bridges and Gordon Hayward carried the scoring load for the Hornets. Bridges had his fourth straight 20+ point game for the first time in his career. Coach James Borrego had nothing but praise to give to his young forward.
“He's just oozing with confidence,” Borrego said. “He's willing us right now and you can just feel it and see it on the floor.”
Bridges' game has been well rounded in these first five games of the season. He has been scoring on all three levels at an efficient clip. His game has taken a huge leap, especially since he can shoot the three-ball well enough to make defenses take notice. Defenses have to close out on him now which makes driving to the basket after a pump-fake. He's carried this team offensively since the start of the season. Hopefully, he can keep this up all season.
The Hornets play the Miami Heat on 10/29 at The American Airlines Arena. This will probably be their biggest test yet. The Miami Heat are one of the better defensive teams in the league. It should be a fun matchup!
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