Jacob Gallagher Chief Revenue Officer | Carolina Hornets Website
Jacob Gallagher Chief Revenue Officer | Carolina Hornets Website
A strong performance by Nick Smith Jr. and Brandon Miller led the Charlotte Hornets to a narrow 94-90 victory over the New York Knicks in a Summer League game held in Las Vegas, Nevada. Smith, who had struggled in previous games, delivered a team-high 24 points with nine coming in the second quarter and seven more in the fourth. Miller contributed 23 points and secured eight rebounds.
The Hornets faced a tense moment late in the game. Leading 92-85 with only 38 seconds remaining, they committed turnovers on three consecutive possessions, giving the Knicks an opportunity to tie. However, Jacob Toppin's attempt at an alley-oop layup failed, sealing the win for Charlotte.
Tidjane Salaün made his debut for the Hornets after missing earlier games due to injury. The rookie managed eight points and seven rebounds in just 14 minutes of play.
Turnovers were a significant issue for Charlotte, as they recorded 18 throughout the game, leading to 23 points for New York. This was notably higher than their average during previous matches.
Hornets Summer League Head Coach Josh Longstaff commented on the team's performance: “I thought we competed for most of the game, which is who we are. I thought we got better throughout the game. Defensively, there’s some things that we can learn from and work on, of course. End-of-game situations, we all can learn from, myself [included]. We can help the players learn a little bit so we can be better in the next game. Overall, we really competed, stayed together and I was proud of that.”
Looking ahead, Charlotte will face off against the Denver Nuggets on Tuesday at COX Pavilion.
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