Charlotte Hornets Lost to the Boston Celtics (again) 113-103. After a disastrous first quarter that saw the Hornets sleep, Charlotte came back from 20 points behind to cut Boston’s lead to two at the end of the third quarter and eventually fall behind. Here are the first takeaways from the Hornets’ loss.

Nick Richards and Mark Williams may not be coming back anytime soon. The Hornets will continue to struggle in the paint without their top two center options. Moussa Diabate, Grant Williams and Tidjane Salaün play with the great effort and intensity that Charles Lee preaches, but heart and courage cannot always make up for the shortcomings against teams with title aspirations.

Charlotte’s next game is at Minnesota on Monday, featuring the home trio of Rudy Gobert, Julius Randle and Naz Reid. The size difference between Charlotte and Boston was evident on the glass tonight; This is best reflected in the free throw disparity (26-9 in favor of Boston). The Celtics didn’t face as positive a whistle as Friday night, but Boston’s relentless siege of the paint for four quarters increased their free throw attempts against Charlotte’s depleted front line.

LaMelo Ball and Brandon Miller are the most talented duo in Charlotte Hornets history. Ball’s quick three-point shooting and Miller’s impressive return to action kept Charlotte in the contest, but the two still have a long way to go in terms of game management skills. Both Ball and Miller picked up unnecessary fouls on both ends, with untimely mental errors disrupting the team’s rhythm. For Charlotte to continue its rise to “world-class” status as the upper echelons dream of, its superstars must learn to play without fouling. As dazzling as the duo’s offensive accomplishments are, their costly mistakes are just as bad on the other end of the spectrum.

The Hornets offense’s supposed third banana was nowhere to be found. Like his frontcourt counterparts, Bridges still plays with great energy and impacts the game at the rim, but his offensive talents are gone. The experienced forward is unable to separate himself from his defender with the ball in his hands, and his once gravity-defying athleticism is slipping away from him. It won’t be this bad for the rest of the season, but Bridges has failed to make an impact in the early games of the 2024-25 season.

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