Hornets Dominate Spurs in Their Fourth Summer League Game

The Charlotte Hornets defeated the San Antonio Spurs, 106-81, on Thursday night. This game was important for Charlotte as they were one of eight teams that were undefeated this summer, and were battling for a playoff spot in the Summer League Playoffs. Only the top four teams can advance to the playoffs, and if there are more than four teams undefeated, the tiebreaker is determined by point differential. So, with this victory tonight, the Hornets will make the playoffs, with the Semifinals starting on Saturday. Who they will play and what seed they will be depends on other results tonight. Putting the playoff berth aside, the Hornets had a strong showing against the Spurs, as they were dominant on both ends of the court. They had a strong shooting game, shooting 51 percent from the field, and were tenacious on the defensive side of the court. They took the Spurs out of their game plan and forced them to pivot into what they did not want to do. The Hornets have had a great showing in Vegas over the past eight days and could use this as momentum to take into training camp.

It looked like this game was going to be a close contest throughout the first half, but Charlotte pulled away in the last three minutes of the game to go up by as many as 22 points. Sparked by consistent three-point shooting from players such as Kon Knueppel and a tenacious wall on defense, the Hornets turned a 33-32 lead into a 56-34 lopsided affair at halftime. The Spurs did not do themselves any favors by turning the ball over and shooting airballs on the other end of the court. At the start of the second half, the Hornets did not take their foot off the gas, as they understood how much they needed to win by in order to get the best point differential they could to qualify for the playoffs. Players such as PJ Hall used their aggression to dominate the bigs of the Spurs. Hall had two ferocious dunks that got the Hornets' bench up. Hall did the “dirty” work in this game, and every time he stepped on the floor, good things seemed to happen for Charlotte. The former Clemson Tiger also had four blocks in the game. This type of aggression was missing from the Hornets last year because, at times, the team was lazy and lacked intensity on both ends of the court. Hall’s play was a great example of what Charlotte fans expect to see from their team. Six Hornets ended up finishing the game in double figures, and four players had five or more assists. It was a great example of a team effort and balance in tonight’s game.

Kneuppel finished with 19 points and three three-pointers. The sharpshooter from Duke continues to impress this summer by setting his feet and using his quick release to get his shot off. He has also done a good job of creating space and moving without the basketball. The former Blue Devil had a highlight play where he threw a behind-the-back pass to Hall for a layup. That play is an example of his poise and patience, as the six-foot-seven wing player does not get sped up or force the ball into a bad spot. The Hornets were up by as many as 33 points in the second half and look to carry their dominant showing in the Semifinals on Saturday. This was a great showing by the team, and fans should be excited that the team will get an opportunity to win a ring in Vegas.