LaMelo Ball and the Charlotte Hornets upset the league’s best team in the Golden State Warriors on Sunday night by clinching a 106-102 win over the Dubs at Spectrum Center.
The Warriors landed in Charlotte ready to extend their 7-game winning streak, but the Hornets had different plans. They won behind Miles Bridges’ 22 points, 8 rebounds, and 3 assists. Melo added 21 points, 7 rebounds, and 5 assists, while Terry Rozier contributed 20 points.
It was a big effort to beat the inspired Warriors, but Ball believed they could get past the Dubs from the beginning, taking inspiration from the Carolina Panthers. After the game was over, LaMelo talked about his expectations before the match.
“Coming in today I felt like we were going to win. I seen the Panthers, they were playing the Cardinals. And I seen they were like 8-1 or something. I’m like, ‘Dang this kind of lines up.’ I feel like we might win too. And we won.”
The 2nd overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft was coming off a great game on Friday, where they beat the New York Knicks, 104-96 at home, with Michael Jordan living the game very intensely, being mad at Kelly Oubre for not running the clock down and yelling at referees when his team didn’t get the calls.
Still, Melo was ready to face the challenge and felt confident getting the ball and leading the squad early on in the game.
“Yeah, I just let the game come to me,” Ball said. “I feel like those shots starting off, they were right there. So I was just shooting them and then they were going in. So the points came quick. And then after that I got back in and it really wasn’t the scoring (that) we needed. We needed ball movement, assists, rebounds and stuff. So I was trying to do anything to help the team win.”
The Hornets are a very promising team. Besides LaMelo playing great basketball, they’ve seen Miles Bridges enhance his game and play at an All-Star level. Charlotte has something good in their hands, and if they develop this squad, the future will be great for the franchise.
They’re already showing glimpses of what could we see from then in the next couple of seasons, and things look better by the day.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9cKZaOL9oWI
