Terry Rozier’s return not enough. What we learned in the Hornets’ loss to Brooklyn
Terry Rozier slapped his chest with his right fist, signaling his return for those who were distracted or not paying close attention.
Rozier had just swished his second 3-pointer to open the fourth quarter, helping the Charlotte Hornets grab their largest lead of the evening. If there was any doubt the Hornets had one of their top scorers and playmakers back after a seven-game absence, Rozier made sure to put those questions to rest at that point — just as he did when he knifed into the lane on the Hornets’ first possession of the game.
Too bad Brooklyn refused to cooperate.
“I’ve been in this league too long, I’ve played in a lot of playoff games and I know this (stuff) can go fast,” Rozier said. “It could be one minute left, up eight and you can’t think it’s over with. Obviously, I’m a guy that plays with emotion. I like to feed into and talk to the crowd and stuff like that. But I’m never thinking we are just going to win the game, especially when you’ve got a guy like Kevin Durant on their team. We made a lot of mistakes down the stretch and the blame is definitely on me. “
The Hornets blew a 12-point fourth-quarter lead and allowed the Nets to regain control, succumbing 98-94 at Spectrum Center on Saturday night. They didn’t make enough plays down the stretch and were thoroughly outworked in the waning minutes, letting a Nets team embroiled in the Kyrie Irving saga escape, even though the Hornets (3-7) got the better of them for the bulk of the second half.
“I’m going to put that one on me,” said Rozier, who led them with 25 points. “I think every guy in that locker room looks to me to lead us and obviously when you’ve got the lead like that, things can change fast. But I think the last five minutes, the last six minutes, I didn’t put us in position to win. So, I take the blame.
“And their defense, you’ve got (Nic) Claxton switching, you’ve got K.D. switching. Two long guys, it’s tough. We should have moved the ball, I should have moved the ball better and put everybody in position to make it better for us offensively. So, I take that one.”
Some of the onus falls on the Hornets’ inability to close out possessions in the final seconds. It was a serious issue and failing to wipe the glass turned out to be a detriment.
“We played hard,” coach Steve Clifford said. “We need to get that rebound, though. That’s the game. We didn’t play hard right there. That’s the difference between winning player, a losing player. Winning team, losing team. We can’t keep talking about (how) we can’t get rebounds. The ball’s right there. We’ve got to get that ball.”
Here’s what we learned in the Hornets’ fourth straight loss and sixth defeat in their past seven games:
Smith Jr. banged up
The Hornets didn’t even have their full complement of active players for an entire quarter. It’s been that kind of stretch for them over the past month-plus.
Dennis Smith Jr., who received the starting nod at point guard, came up gimpy with a sprained left ankle midway through the first quarter and didn’t return. Smith got tangled up with Kevin Durant while the Nets’ star tried to set a screen and immediately crumpled onto the court, unable to put much weight on his left leg. He attempted to walk it off, but checked out with 5:24 remaining in the quarter and went straight to the locker room after initially taking a seat on the bench.
Including LaMelo Ball and Rozier, it’s the third sprained ankle for the Hornets this season and Smith’s injury meant more playing time for Jalen McDaniels and Theo Maledon. McDaniels started the third quarter and was active with his length.
“Just hopefully he’s OK,” Clifford said. “I have no idea. I know he couldn’t come back and obviously he’s tough. So if there was any chance ... Again, we can’t afford to lose him. So hopefully it’s not serious.”
Miscues costly
Already shorthanded and a bit offensively challenged at times, the last thing the Hornets could afford to do was load up on the mistakes and give the Nets extra possessions. But that’s exactly what happened, especially in the second quarter.
They turned the ball over eight times in the second, by far their worst quarter for miscues of the game. Brooklyn took advantage and converted them into 10 points.
“Unforced,” Clifford said. “It’s the same thing. Guys just driving the ball into crowds and we did a little part on that today. Knowing when to shoot it, when to drive it and when to pass it is a big thing. That’s our major problem.”
Still, despite their gaffes, the Hornets actually outscored Brooklyn by a point. Imagine what could have been if they didn’t throw the ball away so carelessly.
“Just valuing possessions,” Kelly Oubre said. “Valuing possessions and making simpler reads. Not trying to make the home run reads and kind of just slowing down within the chaotic pace that we play at. You have to be able to keep your brain whenever you are playing at high speed like we do. So, it’s just learning and growing. And not making the same mistake twice is very imperative.”
Nash the consultant?
Steve Nash has a place to visit if he gets the basketball itch anytime soon.
Clifford said he’s asked the former Brooklyn coach to come to Charlotte, hang around practice and offer up his opinion on the Hornets. Clifford served as a consultant with the Nets last season and apparently he’s willing to return the favor in a sense.
“I’ve invited him to come down here,” Clifford said. “I’m going to try to get him to come down, spend a few days with us and kind of watch and give me his thoughts on things here.
“Nobody handles issues better than he does. We talked on the phone for a while and five minutes into the conversation, he’s asking me about our injuries. That’s just how he is.”
This story was originally published November 5, 2022 at 9:42 PM with the headline "Terry Rozier’s return not enough. What we learned in the Hornets’ loss to Brooklyn."
