Charlotte Hornets head coach Charles Lee highlighted his team’s composure following a dominant fourth quarter in Tuesday’s 136-106 victory over the Miami Heat at Spectrum Center.
“Impressive collective team victory tonight,” Lee said. “Early in that game we did some really good things… our group did a great job of coming into a timeout and talking about just focusing on what’s going to help you impact winning.”
He praised his players for responding to adversity: “Even though Miami kept hitting some shots, got some offensive rebounds, hit some tough twos, the guys stuck with it and it kind of wore them down.”
Lee noted defensive improvements throughout the game: “I thought our shift activity got smarter as the game went on… so that thing, you’re not giving up a clean look at a three, and you’re not also taking yourself out of position to catch their next drive.”
The coach was impressed with how his team executed against Miami’s zone defense: “Every possession had way more purpose, intentionality… the guys catching it at the high hole, they were just hooping at the end of the day… a lot of guys stepped up and just made great quality decisions and quick decisions at that verse the zone.”
LaMelo Ball’s performance drew specific praise from Lee: “Overall, defense… he had a couple big-time defensive rebounds where there’s really good physicality… as the game went on, he found a rhythm, he found a groove, he was allowing our bigs to come screen for him… he was super decisive in some of his decision-making when he did get to the paint and his finishing.”
Lee credited the home crowd for energizing the team: “That energy definitely fuels us… you get a big-time offensive rebound in the first half, we kick out, we get a three, the place erupts. You feel that energy, it gives you another bit of juice, another gear to kind of get to.”
He also highlighted Coby White’s contributions off the bench: “Big for the team. Big for Coby, though, too… for him to have a moment at home and really give us a good boost and spark feels good for him… just building more chemistry with all the guys on the team.”
Lee described the Hornets’ offensive identity in basketball terms: “When we’re able to play just quick inbounds, quick pass aheads, our three-man actions, I think we cause a lot of confusion… that is our fast ball. Our change-up speed, which is still kind of fast ball, is our offensive rebounding… it gives us a ton of momentum.”
Charlotte improved to 35-34, winning nine of their last 12 games, while Miami dropped to 38-31 without Bam Adebayo. The Hornets will host the Orlando Magic on Thursday night, aiming to extend their recent momentum.
