Somewhere hanging in the Hornets’ practice facility is a box score of their blowout loss to the Indiana Pacers in last season’s play-in game.
It’s supposed to serve as motivation as the Hornets try to get into the playoffs again this season. But the only thing it’s serving right now is a reminder that they still have a long way to go.
The Hornets, now 29-30, have lost eight of their last nine games and sit at ninth overall in the Eastern Conference. They’ve also fallen below .500 for the first time since Dec. 20, and need to get things figured out before this thing starts to get out of control — if it hasn’t already.
‘’There’s definitely mental growth that we have to build on,’‘ Charlotte coach James Borrego said Tuesday. ‘‘That’s OK. We’re a young team. We’re growing. We’re going to have highs and lows. We just have to stay with it. But I saw a lot of mental growth out there tonight, too.’‘
The good news for the Hornets is that their offensive slump seems to be over. They’ve scored 118 points or more in each of the last three games. Their 3-point shot wasn’t falling Tuesday, and they found other ways to score.
Miles Bridges had 28 points, Terry Rozier scored 25 and Mason Plumlee had 14 points, 17 rebounds and nine assists in Tuesday night’s 126-120 overtime loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves.
The bad news is that even when they do play well, they are finding ways to lose.
When the Hornets were at their best against the Timberwolves, they were playing good defense. They finished with 15 points off turnovers after having only two in the first half. And they took a nine-point lead heading into the fourth quarter.
But the Timberwolves attacked the offensive glass, and Karl-Anthony Towns was ultimately too much to handle.
“They shot 39 percent from the field. Most nights, we win that game,” Borrego said. “We did a pretty good job defensively tonight. Unfortunately, they had nine offensive rebounds in the fourth quarter.”
Because the Hornets could not finish defensive possessions, it led to more chances for the Timberwolves to score, and they took advantage.
“Too many opportunities,” Plumlee said. “You can’t do that in a close game and it cost us.”
Towns scored inside and out. He finished with 39 points and 15 rebounds and hit multiple clutch shots in the fourth quarter and overtime to ensure that Minnesota won the game.
The Hornets had a chance late. After Town’s 3-pointer put the Timberwolves up four points, Bridges hit a 3-pointer of his own to cut the deficit to one point.
On their next offensive possession, Bridges drove past Timberwolves guard Patrick Beverly to the basket and was fouled by Towns with nine seconds left. He missed the first of two free throws, but hit the second one, which sent the game to overtime.
“Everybody wants to be in those clutch situations,” Bridges said. “But when you miss, it definitely takes a toll on me. But I was ready to play in overtime. We didn’t get off to a good start in overtime, so I feel like that loss is on me.”
The Hornets had a lot of hope heading into the 2021-22 season. LaMelo Ball is an All-Star. Bridges will be a candidate for the league’s most improved player. And Terry Rozier is having another good season.
But as exciting as the Hornets are to watch, what’s become clear in their recent string of losses is that despite their potential, they aren’t ready to compete in the playoffs. They might not be ready to even be in the playoffs.
All eight of their losses in their previous nine games have come against playoff-caliber teams, including the Timberwolves, who are seventh in the Western Conference.
They are also 0-5 in overtime this season.
The Hornets upgraded offensively and addressed a big need when they traded for forward Montrezl Harrell just minutes before the deadline last week. His teammates have raved about his leadership and energy so far.
But they failed to address their inability to protect the rim, and that continues to haunt them, just like Towns did. Earlier this month, All-Star Jarrett Allen had 29 points and 22 rebounds against them.
It may continue to haunt them as the season progresses unless they can figure out how to get around it.
The Hornets have one more game before the All-Star break and they need a win for their own sanity — against the Miami Heat for the second time this month. The Heat, tied for first in the Eastern Conference, beat the Hornets 104-86 on Feb. 5.
“We’ve just got to get a win before All-Star break, come back tomorrow, start 0-0 and try to go on a run,” Bridges said.
Said Plumlee: “We’re going to break through.”