Three things we learned about the Charlotte Hornets in their win at Orlando

This was supposed to be a breather.

With the Charlotte Hornets’ strength of schedule hovering among the toughest so far through the season’s first five weeks, Wednesday night’s tilt with Orlando could have been viewed as something close to a gimme. Particularly since Cole Anthony, the Magic’s leading scorer, wasn’t playing.

But through the better part of two-plus quarters, the Hornets had trouble completely ridding themselves of their Southeast Division foe. The Magic was like a piece of gum stuck on the Hornets’ sneakers, slowly having to be peeled off. Until late in the third quarter, anyway.

That’s when the Hornets clamped down defensively, executed offensively and settled in, using the formula to topple the Magic 106-99 at Amway Center in Orlando, Fla.

“I thought it was a professional win,” coach James Borrego said. “I’ve seen us lose this game before. It was a very mature, professional win. There are a couple of areas we’ve obviously got to clean up. But we got it done. We found a group that got it done tonight. And that’s the biggest thing. We’ve got a lot of depth here. Really it was probably 10-11 guys we could have gone to tonight to figure out the right lineup to get this win.

“And that just shows the depth of this roster and how we play for one another when we are playing together. So that’s the goal every night, is just try to figure out the right combinations and right guys playing together to get a win. So really proud of the group. I think it has been a tough schedule and we’ve got a tough one through the end of the year here.”

Some sites rank their slate through these initial 20 games anywhere from the second to third most difficult in the league. Yet, the Hornets (12-8) have rattled off victories in seven of their last eight and are finding different methods to get it done. They are rolling and their five-game losing streak is a distant memory.

“I think it’s resiliency,” said Kelly Oubre, who had 21 points and six rebounds off the bench. “We are a very resilient group. We know where we want to be. Obviously, we are still learning along the way, we are still growing together as a unit. But at the end of the day, greatness is what we want and we have to continue to strive for that. I think that we should never be satisfied or complacent with where we are at.

“We also have more to do because we haven’t done anything in the grand scheme of things. But each and every day that we get an opportunity to come out here and prove to the world as a unit how good we are -- or individually how good we are -- I think that we are a unit that everybody feels that buzz that we are going to do that and we are going to continuously get better.”

Here’s what we learned in the Hornets’ win over Orlando:

TERRY COOKS AGAIN

That sick dribble move making the rounds on social media over the past two days had many fawning at Terry Rozier’s dribbling skills. Even he enjoyed the love.

“Yeah, it’s always good to see yourself doing a crazy move and people going crazy about it,” Rozier said. “So yeah, that’s definitely dope to watch, that’s dope to see.”

It could be time for another mash-up. Except this one should feature the offensive fireworks he’s putting up of late.

For the second straight game, Rozier led the Hornets in scoring with 27 points and sparked them offensively. He was especially on point in the third quarter, posting 11 points to help transform a seven-point deficit into a five-point cushion heading into the fourth quarter. He also tied a career-high with six steals, playing well on both ends.

“Just being me,” Rozier said. “Just being me. Ain’t nothing too different. I don’t think nobody else is surprised. So, this is something that we’ve seen a lot, that we’ve seen before. But I just wanted to take care of the defensive end, and play hard, and give my teammates all my effort and everything else will take care of itself. So that’s what the last couple of games have been like.”

RUSTY PJ

Exactly three weeks to the day of him hyperextending his left elbow, P.J. Washington returned to the lineup for the Hornets and displayed the kind of rust expected following his extensive absence.

Washington missed 10 games after getting injured against Golden State in San Francisco on Nov. 3 and the Hornets are happy to have the versatile big man in the fold. Sporting a headband look with a white sleeve over his left arm to keep it warm and loose, he was inserted in the first quarter and logged six minutes, misfiring on both shots, collecting a rebound and a blocked shot.

Perhaps not wanting to overexert him too soon and break him in slowly following his return, Borrego didn’t play him in the second half.

“He’s got to find his rhythm again,” Oubre said. “Of course, missing that much time you definitely have to come back and just get your wind back, feel the measurements, the eye test of the rim and everything like that. He’ll be fine. I’m just so happy that he came back. He’s the type of guy that he doesn’t really talk about what he’s going through or what pain he feels. He just tried to get through it. And I’m just happy to have him back on the court and continuing to run with us.”

LaMelo Ball’s teaching moment

He was in the clear, all by is lonesome.

Having received a pass from Mason Plumlee as the Hornets’ big man stood directly at midcourt, LaMelo Ball had an unimpeded path to the bucket and looked poised to pull off the same move he usually does when he’s out on the fastbreak by himself. Except rather than simply doing his typical two-handed flush, Ball tried to go into his bag. The result will likely earn him a not-exactly-coveted spot on the next edition of the NBA on TNT staple “Shaqtin a Fool.”

Ball bounced, well, the ball with the intent of collecting it and throwing it down in a reverse dunk. Only he couldn’t complete it and the ball caromed off the back rim, bouncing into the hands of the Magic’s Mo Bamba. Ball fouled Bomba four seconds later and immediately got the hook by Borrego. Ball, who finished with 22 points to go with four rebounds and four assists, sat for the final 4:01 of the first half, underscoring the importance of knowing the situation and when to curtail the flair.

“It was a learning opportunity,” Borrego said, “but I think he had three fouls at that time as well. That was part of the substitution there. I trust Melo. That play, we’ll talk about. He knows it. He owns it and we move forward. But that one was more about the foul trouble and another growth opportunity for him.”

This story was originally published November 24, 2021 at 9:21 PM with the headline "Three things we learned about the Charlotte Hornets in their win at Orlando."

Roderick Boone

The Charlotte Observer

Roderick Boone joined the Observer in September 2021 to cover the Charlotte Hornets and NBA. In his more than two decades of writing about the world of sports, he’s chronicled everything from high school rodeo to a major league baseball no-hitter to the Super Bowl to the Finals. The Long Island native has deep North Carolina roots and enjoys watching “The Fresh Prince of Bel Air” endlessly. Support my work with a digital subscription