Brandon Miller, Hornets aim to stay 'hungry' vs. Mavericks
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."
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| Time | Team | Play | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5:37 |  | Mavericks 60 second timeout | ||
| 5:38 |  | +2 | Kon Knueppel makes two point layup (Miles Bridges assists) | 48-38 |
| 5:52 | | Sion James defensive rebound | ||
| 5:55 | | Max Christie misses three point jump shot | ||
| 5:57 | | Caleb Martin offensive rebound | ||
| 6:00 | | Ryan Nembhard misses two point jump shot | ||
| 6:19 | | +1 | Kon Knueppel makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 46-38 |
| 6:19 | | +1 | Kon Knueppel makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 45-38 |
| 6:19 | | Max Christie shooting foul (Kon Knueppel draws the foul) | ||
| 6:36 | | +2 | Daniel Gafford makes two point running alley-oop dunk (Ryan Nembhard assists) | 44-38 |
| 6:44 | | Caleb Martin defensive rebound | ||
| 6:44 | | Max Christie blocks Miles Bridges's two point driving layup | ||
| 6:50 | | Sion James defensive rebound | ||
| 6:54 | | Ryan Nembhard misses three point jump shot | ||
| 7:06 | | Josh Green personal foul (Caleb Martin draws the foul) | ||
| 7:06 | | Caleb Martin defensive rebound | ||
| 7:06 | | Caleb Martin blocks Moussa Diabate's two point putback layup | ||
| 7:06 | | Moussa Diabate offensive rebound | ||
| 7:07 | | Moussa Diabate misses two point driving layup | ||
| 7:24 | | Max Christie turnover (out of bounds bad pass) | ||
| 7:35 | | Moussa Diabate personal foul (Loose ball) (Moussa Cisse draws the foul) | ||
| 7:35 | | Mavericks defensive rebound | ||
| 7:36 | | Miles Bridges misses three point jump shot | ||
| 7:42 | | Caleb Martin personal foul (LaMelo Ball draws the foul) | ||
| 7:47 | | +2 | Cooper Flagg makes two point driving finger roll layup | 44-36 |
| 7:56 | | +2 | LaMelo Ball makes two point stepback jump shot (Moussa Diabate assists) | 44-34 |
| 8:15 | | +3 | Cooper Flagg makes three point pullup jump shot (Ryan Nembhard assists) | 42-34 |
| 8:32 | | +2 | Miles Bridges makes two point floating jump shot (LaMelo Ball assists) | 42-31 |
| 8:50 | | P.J. Washington turnover (offensive foul) | ||
| 8:50 | | P.J. Washington offensive foul (Off the ball) (Tidjane Salaun draws the foul) | ||
| 8:53 | | P.J. Washington defensive rebound | ||
| 8:55 | | LaMelo Ball misses two point driving finger roll layup | ||
| 9:04 | | Collin Sexton defensive rebound | ||
| 9:07 | | Jaden Hardy misses three point jump shot | ||
| 9:27 | | +3 | Collin Sexton makes three point jump shot (LaMelo Ball assists) | 40-31 |
| 9:40 | | +1 | Cooper Flagg makes regular free throw 1 of 1 | 37-31 |
| 9:40 | | Brandon Miller shooting foul (Cooper Flagg draws the foul) | ||
| 9:40 | | +2 | Cooper Flagg makes two point running layup | 37-30 |
| 9:43 | | Cooper Flagg defensive rebound | ||
| 9:44 | | Tidjane Salaun misses two point putback layup | ||
| 9:44 | | Tidjane Salaun offensive rebound | ||
| 9:46 | | Collin Sexton misses two point driving layup | ||
| 10:02 | | +2 | Cooper Flagg makes two point driving dunk (Ryan Nembhard assists) | 37-28 |
| 10:13 | | +1 | Brandon Miller makes regular free throw 1 of 1 | 37-26 |
| 10:13 | | P.J. Washington shooting foul (Brandon Miller draws the foul) | ||
| 10:13 | | +3 | Brandon Miller makes three point jump shot (Moussa Diabate assists) | 36-26 |
| 10:23 | | Hornets 60 second timeout | ||
| 10:23 | | +2 | P.J. Washington makes two point running alley-oop dunk (Ryan Nembhard assists) | 33-26 |
| 10:27 | | LaMelo Ball turnover (bad pass) (Ryan Nembhard steals) | ||
| 10:45 | | +1 | Cooper Flagg makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 33-24 |
| 10:45 | | +1 | Cooper Flagg makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 33-23 |
| 10:45 | | Collin Sexton shooting foul (Cooper Flagg draws the foul) | ||
| 10:57 | | Jaden Hardy defensive rebound | ||
| 10:59 | | Moussa Cisse blocks Collin Sexton's two point driving layup | ||
| 11:08 | | +2 | Cooper Flagg makes two point running finger roll layup (Jaden Hardy assists) | 33-22 |
| 11:14 | | LaMelo Ball turnover (bad pass) (Moussa Cisse steals) | ||
| 11:25 | | Brandon Miller defensive rebound | ||
| 11:27 | | Moussa Cisse misses two point jump shot | ||
| 11:28 | | Moussa Cisse offensive rebound | ||
| 11:30 | | Moussa Diabate blocks P.J. Washington's two point putback layup | ||
| 11:33 | | P.J. Washington offensive rebound | ||
| 11:34 | | Ryan Nembhard misses two point turnaround fadeaway jump shot |
| Time | Team | Play | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0:00 | | End of period | ||
| 0:00 | | Hornets offensive rebound | ||
| 0:00 | | Hornets misses three point jump shot | ||
| 0:03 | | +2 | Brandon Williams makes two point driving layup | 33-20 |
| 0:14 | | +1 | Brandon Miller makes regular free throw 1 of 1 | 33-18 |
| 0:14 | | Klay Thompson shooting foul (Brandon Miller draws the foul) | ||
| 0:14 | | +2 | Brandon Miller makes two point pullup jump shot | 32-18 |
| 0:35 | | Sion James defensive rebound | ||
| 0:38 | | Klay Thompson misses three point pullup jump shot | ||
| 0:46 | | Brandon Williams defensive rebound | ||
| 0:51 | | Sion James misses three point jump shot | ||
| 0:57 | | Tidjane Salaun defensive rebound | ||
| 1:00 | | Brandon Williams misses two point running layup | ||
| 1:05 | | P.J. Washington defensive rebound | ||
| 1:09 | | Sion James misses three point jump shot | ||
| 1:12 | | Tidjane Salaun offensive rebound | ||
| 1:15 | | Brandon Miller misses three point jump shot | ||
| 1:26 | | Sion James defensive rebound | ||
| 1:29 | | P.J. Washington misses three point running jump shot | ||
| 1:33 | | Cooper Flagg defensive rebound | ||
| 1:35 | | Collin Sexton misses two point driving floating jump shot | ||
| 1:45 | | +2 | P.J. Washington makes two point driving dunk (Brandon Williams assists) | 30-18 |
| 2:04 | | +1 | Brandon Miller makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 30-16 |
| 2:04 | | +1 | Brandon Miller makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 29-16 |
| 2:04 | | Klay Thompson shooting foul (Brandon Miller draws the foul) | ||
| 2:16 | | Sion James defensive rebound | ||
| 2:20 | | Cooper Flagg misses two point pullup jump shot | ||
| 2:30 | | Tidjane Salaun turnover (traveling) | ||
| 2:36 | | Daniel Gafford turnover (bad pass) (Tidjane Salaun steals) | ||
| 2:44 | | Sion James personal foul (Daniel Gafford draws the foul) | ||
| 2:57 | | +2 | Miles Bridges makes two point driving floating jump shot | 28-16 |
| 3:25 | | +2 | Klay Thompson makes two point pullup jump shot (Brandon Williams assists) | 26-16 |
| 3:39 | | +2 | Miles Bridges makes two point driving bank hook shot | 26-14 |
| 3:50 | | Josh Green defensive rebound | ||
| 3:52 | | Max Christie misses two point pullup jump shot | ||
| 4:16 | | +2 | Ryan Kalkbrenner makes two point tip layup | 24-14 |
| 4:16 | | Ryan Kalkbrenner offensive rebound | ||
| 4:18 | | Miles Bridges misses two point driving layup | ||
| 4:38 | | +2 | Brandon Williams makes two point driving finger roll layup | 22-14 |
| 4:58 | | +3 | Kon Knueppel makes three point pullup jump shot (Miles Bridges assists) | 22-12 |
| 5:14 | | Hornets 60 second timeout | ||
| 5:16 | | +2 | Brandon Williams makes two point pullup jump shot (Klay Thompson assists) | 19-12 |
| 5:21 | | Klay Thompson defensive rebound | ||
| 5:23 | | Caleb Martin blocks Josh Green's two point running layup | ||
| 5:26 | | Miles Bridges defensive rebound | ||
| 5:28 | | Klay Thompson misses two point driving floating jump shot | ||
| 5:45 | | +2 | Moussa Diabate makes two point alley-oop layup (Josh Green assists) | 19-10 |
| 5:56 | | Dwight Powell personal foul (Loose ball) (Moussa Diabate draws the foul) | ||
| 5:56 | | Hornets offensive rebound | ||
| 5:57 | | LaMelo Ball misses three point pullup jump shot | ||
| 6:14 | | Josh Green defensive rebound | ||
| 6:22 | | Max Christie misses three point jump shot | ||
| 6:33 | | Max Christie defensive rebound | ||
| 6:35 | | LaMelo Ball misses two point driving bank hook shot | ||
| 6:59 | | Caleb Martin turnover (out of bounds lost ball) | ||
| 7:00 | | Dwight Powell offensive rebound | ||
| 7:01 | | Cooper Flagg misses two point turnaround hook shot | ||
| 7:19 | | P.J. Washington defensive rebound | ||
| 7:19 | | Kon Knueppel misses three point jump shot | ||
| 7:26 | | Moussa Diabate defensive rebound | ||
| 7:29 | | P.J. Washington misses three point jump shot | ||
| 7:43 | | +3 | Kon Knueppel makes three point jump shot (LaMelo Ball assists) | 17-10 |
| 7:52 | | +2 | Cooper Flagg makes two point driving hook shot | 14-10 |
| 8:06 | | Dwight Powell offensive rebound | ||
| 8:08 | | Max Christie misses three point pullup jump shot | ||
| 8:20 | | +3 | Kon Knueppel makes three point running jump shot (LaMelo Ball assists) | 14-8 |
| 8:24 | | Kon Knueppel defensive rebound | ||
| 8:27 | | P.J. Washington misses three point pullup jump shot | ||
| 8:32 | | P.J. Washington defensive rebound | ||
| 8:34 | | Miles Bridges misses two point driving hook shot | ||
| 8:42 | | Moussa Diabate defensive rebound | ||
| 8:44 | | Cooper Flagg misses two point pullup jump shot | ||
| 8:51 | | Brandon Miller personal foul (Dwight Powell draws the foul) | ||
| 9:01 | | +2 | Brandon Miller makes two point running dunk (Miles Bridges assists) | 11-8 |
| 9:04 | | Miles Bridges defensive rebound | ||
| 9:07 | | Miles Bridges blocks P.J. Washington's two point running layup | ||
| 9:12 | | Caleb Martin defensive rebound | ||
| 9:16 | | LaMelo Ball misses three point stepback jump shot | ||
| 9:34 | | +3 | Caleb Martin makes three point jump shot (Cooper Flagg assists) | 9-8 |
| 9:48 | | +3 | Brandon Miller makes three point jump shot (LaMelo Ball assists) | 9-5 |
| 10:02 | | +3 | P.J. Washington makes three point jump shot (Caleb Martin assists) | 6-5 |
| 10:15 | | Mavericks 60 second timeout | ||
| 10:21 | | +3 | Kon Knueppel makes three point jump shot (Miles Bridges assists) | 6-2 |
| 10:38 | | +2 | Daniel Gafford makes two point driving hook shot (Caleb Martin assists) | 3-2 |
| 10:47 | | Caleb Martin defensive rebound | ||
| 10:47 | | P.J. Washington blocks LaMelo Ball's three point stepback jump shot | ||
| 10:54 | | Moussa Diabate defensive rebound | ||
| 10:56 | | P.J. Washington misses two point hook shot | ||
| 10:58 | | P.J. Washington offensive rebound | ||
| 10:59 | | Miles Bridges blocks P.J. Washington's two point driving layup | ||
| 11:20 | | +3 | LaMelo Ball makes three point pullup jump shot | 3-0 |
| 11:26 | | Kon Knueppel defensive rebound | ||
| 11:27 | | P.J. Washington misses two point running layup | ||
| 11:32 | | Caleb Martin defensive rebound | ||
| 11:35 | | Brandon Miller misses three point stepback jump shot | ||
| 12:00 | | Moussa Diabate vs. Daniel Gafford (Kon Knueppel gains possession) |
| Min. Per Game | ||
| Pts. Per Game | ||
| Ast. Per Game | ||
| Reb. Per Game | ||
| Field Goal % | ||
| Three Point % | ||
| Free Throw % |
|
Mavericks 60 second timeout | 5:37 |
| |
+ 2 | Kon Knueppel makes two point layup (Miles Bridges assists) | 5:38 |
|
Sion James defensive rebound | 5:52 |
|
Max Christie misses three point jump shot | 5:55 |
|
Caleb Martin offensive rebound | 5:57 |
|
Ryan Nembhard misses two point jump shot | 6:00 |
| |
+ 1 | Kon Knueppel makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 6:19 |
| |
+ 1 | Kon Knueppel makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 6:19 |
|
Max Christie shooting foul (Kon Knueppel draws the foul) | 6:19 |
| |
+ 2 | Daniel Gafford makes two point running alley-oop dunk (Ryan Nembhard assists) | 6:36 |
|
Caleb Martin defensive rebound | 6:44 |
| Team Stats | |
|
|---|---|---|
| Points | 48 | 38 |
| Field Goals | 17-38 (44.7%) | 16-39 (41.0%) |
| 3-Pointers | 8-17 (47.1%) | 3-12 (25.0%) |
| Free Throws | 6-6 (100.0%) | 3-3 (100.0%) |
| Total Rebounds | 23 | 22 |
| Offensive | 4 | 6 |
| Defensive | 17 | 15 |
| Team | 2 | 1 |
| Assists | 12 | 11 |
| Steals | 1 | 2 |
| Blocks | 3 | 5 |
| Turnovers | 3 | 4 |
| Fouls | 6 | 7 |
| Technicals | 0 | 0 |
| Key Players | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
K. Knueppel SF | 18.6 PPG | 5.4 RPG | 3.6 APG | 48.3 FG% |
|
|
C. Flagg SF | 18.8 PPG | 6.4 RPG | 4.1 APG | 47.3 FG% |
| Top Scorers | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
K. Knueppel SF | 16 PTS | 2 REB | 0 AST | |
|
|
C. Flagg SF | 16 PTS | 2 REB | 1 AST | |
| On Court | PTS | REB | AST | FG | 3PT | FT | PF | STL | BLK | TO | OREB | DREB | +/- | FPTS |
| K. Knueppel | 16 | 2 | 0 | 5/6 | 4/5 | 2/2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | +16 | 18 |
| M. Bridges | 6 | 2 | 4 | 3/7 | 0/1 | 0/0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | +13 | 18 |
| R. Kalkbrenner | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1/1 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | +10 | 3 |
| S. James | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0/2 | 0/2 | 0/0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | +8 | 5 |
| J. Green | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0/1 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | +7 | 4 |
| On Court | PTS | REB | AST | FG | 3PT | FT | PF | STL | BLK | TO | OREB | DREB | +/- | FPTS |
| K. Knueppel | 16 | 2 | 0 | 5/6 | 4/5 | 2/2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | +16 | 18 |
| M. Bridges | 6 | 2 | 4 | 3/7 | 0/1 | 0/0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | +13 | 18 |
| R. Kalkbrenner | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1/1 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | +10 | 3 |
| S. James | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0/2 | 0/2 | 0/0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | +8 | 5 |
| J. Green | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0/1 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | +7 | 4 |
| On Bench | PTS | REB | AST | FG | 3PT | FT | PF | STL | BLK | TO | OREB | DREB | +/- | FPTS |
| C. Sexton | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1/4 | 1/1 | 0/0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | -4 | 4 |
| T. Salaun | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0/1 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | -3 | 3 |
| P. Connaughton | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| L. McNeeley | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| T. Mann | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| A. Reeves | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| P. Hall | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Total | 48 | 21 | 12 | 17/38 | 8/17 | 6/6 | 6 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 17 | +47 | - |
| On Court | PTS | REB | AST | FG | 3PT | FT | PF | STL | BLK | TO | OREB | DREB | +/- | FPTS |
| D. Gafford | 4 | 0 | 0 | 2/2 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | -14 | 3 |
| C. Martin | 3 | 6 | 2 | 1/1 | 1/1 | 0/0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 5 | -13 | 14 |
| K. Thompson | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1/3 | 0/1 | 0/0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | -8 | 5 |
| M. Christie | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0/4 | 0/3 | 0/0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | -14 | 1 |
| R. Nembhard | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0/3 | 0/1 | 0/0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | +3 | 9 |
| On Court | PTS | REB | AST | FG | 3PT | FT | PF | STL | BLK | TO | OREB | DREB | +/- | FPTS |
| D. Gafford | 4 | 0 | 0 | 2/2 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | -14 | 3 |
| C. Martin | 3 | 6 | 2 | 1/1 | 1/1 | 0/0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 5 | -13 | 14 |
| K. Thompson | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1/3 | 0/1 | 0/0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | -8 | 5 |
| M. Christie | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0/4 | 0/3 | 0/0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | -14 | 1 |
| R. Nembhard | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0/3 | 0/1 | 0/0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | +3 | 9 |
| On Bench | PTS | REB | AST | FG | 3PT | FT | PF | STL | BLK | TO | OREB | DREB | +/- | FPTS |
| B. Williams | 6 | 1 | 2 | 3/4 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | -6 | 11 |
| D. Powell | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | -3 | 2 |
| J. Hardy | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0/1 | 0/1 | 0/0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | +5 | 3 |
| M. Cisse | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0/1 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | +7 | 3 |
| D. Russell | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| M. Kelly | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| J. Robinson-Earl | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Total | 38 | 21 | 11 | 16/39 | 3/12 | 3/3 | 7 | 2 | 5 | 4 | 6 | 15 | -43 | - |
