Turnovers, turnovers, turnovers.
For the most part, the Charlotte Hornets did enough to pull out a win in Phoenix. They dominated on the glass (+20 rebound differential), they won the three-point battle (14-13), they made more free throws than the Suns (16-12), and their defense was solid over the course of the 48 minutes.
However, they turned the ball over a staggering twenty-five times in the desert — a crippling number that is just impossible to overcome.
The good juju from Monday’s upset win over the Cavaliers didn’t last long. Let’s dive into some takeaways from Charlotte’s 101-96 loss.
Fourth Quarter Offense Collapses
The Hornets finished the fourth quarter with more turnovers (6) than made baskets (5). That’s the story here.
Charles Lee closed the game with an offensively-deficient lineup of Sion James, Grayson Allen, Tidjane Salaun, Naz Reid, and Moussa Diabate. With Coby White on a strict limits minute and both Brandon Miller and Kon Knueppel sidelined with injuries, the Hornets are just down so much firepower it’s going to take perfection to win basketball games against good teams like the Suns.
Could Lee have finished the game with Christian Anderson in over Sion James? Maybe. But I’m not confident that that would have given Charlotte’s offense enough of a boost to get this one over the line.
The Hornets were far from perfect tonight and their fourth quarter sins contributed heavily to the disappointing loss.
Coby White is Back
This is the Coby White that Charlotte signed to a $74M deal this summer.
White looked like he had his patented burst back on his way to a season-high scoring output. His driving ability was key to the Hornets getting out of the starting blocks as White scored or assisted on six of Charlotte’s first nine points after getting two feet in the paint.
He continued to drive with intent and consistently punctured the paint throughout his 20 minutes on the floor. White’s ability to inject some pace into Charlotte’s offense off of opposing makes, misses, and turnovers is a breath of fresh air for a unit near the bottom of the league in terms of efficiency.
Coby’s minutes limit, while understandable and best for his long-term health, is hamstringing Charlotte’s offense right now. They need their point guard healthy to get this offense out of the funk that it is in.
Grant Williams’ Calming Presence
Grant Williams just stacks winning plays, and it didn’t take him long to shake off the rust of an extended absence.
When healthy, Williams is a consistent producer on both ends of the floor who’s impact rarely vacillates. You can trust that Grant is going to be in the right position on defense, make the extra pass on offense, and knock down shots when his number is called.
Look no further than his team-high +11 on the night to define how important he can be to this team’s success.
Christian Anderson Doing Stuff
This was the best game of the rookie’s young career.
It started with his shot falling. Anderson Jr. was billed as the best shooter in the 2026 NBA Draft, but you wouldn’t know it if you had only watched him in the NBA. Coming into the game, the 6’0″ point guard had only made four of his 22 three-point attempts as a rookie. He nailed three of his six long-range against the Suns which opened up the floor for him to make a real impact on offense.
Anderson Jr. looked confident against Phoenix’s defense that consistently hounded him the length of the floor, and his offensive game was just good enough to keep the Hornets’ offense afloat when Coby White had to sit. With Dennis Schroder sidelined, the backup point guard job is Anderson’s.
If he keeps playing like this, we may not see much of Schroder when he’s eventually available to return.
Tidjane Salaun: Small Forward
Just something to monitor going forward. How does Tidjane’s outlook change if his long-term destiny is as a 3/4 instead of a 4/5? Charlotte’s defense looks imposing with him out there alongside two traditional big men, and I’ll be interested to see how the numbers look with him playing down a position over a larger sample size.
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