These are heady times for the Charlotte Hornets, who have won four straight games for the first time in nearly two years.
Charlotte looks to carry the momentum into Thursday’s road matchup against the Dallas Mavericks, who have lost two in a row following a four-game winning streak.
Brandon Miller scored 26 points, Miles Bridges added 20 and Moussa Diabate collected 18 points and a career-high 19 rebounds in Charlotte’s 112-97 road win over the Memphis Grizzlies on Wednesday night.
The Hornets shot 48.9% from the field and won for the 20th time this season to surpass last year’s win total. Charlotte last won four in a row from Feb. 10-22, 2024.
“We talked about after the game – a ton of accomplishments,” Hornets coach Charles Lee said. “Congratulated them, thanked them for all the effort that they are giving, but we’ve got to remain hungry and humble as we continue on this journey.”
Miller has scored 20 or more points in eight straight games for the Hornets, who started the season with a 4-14 record.
Rookie Kon Knueppel had 10 points against Memphis and is averaging 18.7 points while shooting 42.1% from 3-point range.
Charlotte also has received a boost from Diabate, who is in his second season with the Hornets after being released by the Los Angeles Clippers.
“(Diabate) plays so hard,” Lee said. “If you are a basketball fan or are a junkie of the game, you can appreciate someone that plays that hard on every possession. You love his story of his journey to get to this point. Then when you sit down with him and have a conversation, you love him even more. An unbelievable human being and competitor.”
The Hornets split their two meetings last season against Dallas, which is coming off a 118-105 home loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Wednesday.
P.J. Washington led the Mavericks with 21 points, while Naji Marshall had 18 points and six rebounds and Brandon Williams scored 17 points off the bench. Dallas shot 16.7% (3 of 18) from 3-point range.
The Mavericks played without rookie Cooper Flagg (left ankle injury management) and Klay Thompson (left knee soreness). Both could return for the second night of a back-to-back on Thursday.
Dallas guard Max Christie had scored at least 20 points in four straight games before struggling in Wednesday’s loss. He finished with nine points on a 1-of-8 shooting against the Timberwolves, whose defensive gameplan focused on slowing down Christie.
“I think it’s respect,” Washington said. “Obviously, he’s been playing his butt off. He’s one of the best shooters in the league. So every team should do that. He’s going to adjust and be better. But we’ve got to do a better job of helping him, taking some pressure off of him.”
Marshall also has been a key contributor during the Mavericks’ recent win streak. He was 7-of-14 shooting from the field on Wednesday and drew praise from Minnesota coach Chris Finch.
“I’ve always been a fan of Naji’s,” Finch said. “I love playmaking wings. Guys who are super-hard to guard are so valuable in the league right now. In situations where he’s been forced to probably score a bit more, he’s been able to measure up.”
