CHARLOTTE — Turning around the outlook of their season, the Charlotte Hornets are riding a seven-game winning streak for the first time since 2016.
At 23-28 overall, Charlotte has gone 8-2 over its last 10 games and currently sits one game back of Atlanta for the Eastern Conference’s final play-in spot.
No team in the NBA has been hotter over the past two weeks, and Monday afternoon’s dramatic comeback at the Spectrum Center proved to be another defining moment of the surge.
Charlotte held an early first-quarter lead against the New Orleans Pelicans before a frightening collision between star guard LaMelo Ball and Hornets coach Charles Lee sent Ball to the locker room.
The Pelicans seized the moment, ripping off a 19-6 run followed by a 22-7 spurt to seize control.
Trailing by as many as 22 points with just over three minutes left in the first half, the Hornets were staring at their first loss since Jan. 21. Instead, they delivered one of the most resilient performances in recent franchise memory.
Charlotte closed the game on a 68-39 run, erasing the massive deficit to defeat New Orleans 102-95 in what became a tale of two halves.
Ball returned soon after the collision, having a one-inch laceration above his eye glued shut by trainers. He finished with 26 points on 8-of-20 shooting to go with eight rebounds, five assists and two steals.
Lee took full responsibility for the sideline incident.
“I took a play off and you’re not supposed to take any plays off,” Lee said. “I thought the ball was going out of bounds and I was going to save it from going into the stands and he was going to save the ball. We went head to head. Credit to him he didn’t yell at me too bad.”
Ball brushed it off, focusing instead of his team’s end result.
“He went for the ball and I went for the ball and obviously we bumped heads,” Ball said. “It was unfortunate, but hey, I’m still alive and breathing, so who cares? We got the win, so that’s what is most important.”
Charlotte’s supporting cast once again delivered. Rookie sharpshooter Kon Knueppel scored 17 points, knocking down four three-pointers, while Brandon Miller and Grant Williams each added 16.
For Williams, the performance marked his first double-digit scoring game since returning from an injury that sidelined him since November 2024. He finished with 16 points and nine rebounds, shooting 5-of-7 from the field and 2-of-4 from beyond the arc.
New Orleans was led by Trey Murphy III, who scored 27 points; Zion Williamson posted 14 points and 11 rebounds as rookie Derik Queen added 16.
At halftime, Lee challenged his team to respond.
“We talked at halftime about how this is going to be a character game,” Lee said. “We’ve built a ton of resiliency over the last month or so, and I love what we’ve been doing. To me, it was a ton of the defensive stuff that we needed to clean up in the second half and we did it.”
Miller, who was recently named the NBA’s Eastern Conference Player of the Week, said the comeback reflected the group’s mentality, with Charlotte committing 17 turnovers but never fracturing.
“I think that’s why the game is the game,” Miller said. “We come out here and play as hard as we can with the mindset that we’re always fighting against adversity. The only thing that’s going to help us with adversity is everybody in the locker room. They did a great job tonight and it’s all great vibes from there.”
The Hornets’ current starting lineup — Ball, Miller, Knueppel, Miles Bridges and Moussa Diabate — is now 13-1 together. That chemistry has powered wins over Orlando, Washington, Philadelphia, Memphis, Dallas, San Antonio and New Orleans during the streak.
Consistent bench production has helped stabilize the rotation, including contributions from eighth-year guard Collin Sexton, who is averaging 14.4 points and 3.8 assists in his first season with Charlotte, and rookie center Ryan Kalkbrenner, who is posting 8.6 points and 6.1 rebounds per game.
Charlotte’s defensive growth has been a significant factor in the team’s progression. The Hornets now rank 12th in the NBA in points allowed at 114.6 per game, surpassing even their 14th-ranked offense (116.2).
Against New Orleans, Charlotte surrendered just 13 points in the fourth quarter.
The Hornets will travel to Houston on Thursday night, where an eighth straight win would mark their longest streak since 1999. Charlotte then heads to Atlanta on Saturday night for a matchup with the Hawks.
