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Hornets vs Bulls preview, game thread, etc.

2023-03-30T20:30:00-04:00

It’s so hard to find pictures of Hornets players that are actually playing right now. | Photo by Jamie Sabau/Getty Images

One more for the road.

What: Charlotte Hornets (26-51) vs Chicago Bulls (36-40)

When: 7:00pm EDT

Where: Spectrum Center; Charlotte, NC

How to watch: Bally Sports Southeast, NBA League Pass

Outfitting: Hornets—Icon (teal), Bulls—Icon (red)

It’s too early for the injury report, but I’m assuming the Hornets will be without the same players as Tuesday. That means no LaMelo Ball, Terry Rozier, Gordon Hayward, Kelly Oubre, Cody Martin, or Dennis Smith Jr. The Bulls seem to be healthy.

This post is going up now because we have to start prepping for the switch, so this is the last post going up on this iteration of At the Hive. Talk everything Bulls or whatever else you desire until we make the switch.

As for the game itself, it’s the fifth straight game in which the Hornets will be facing off against a team battling for play-in positioning. After a loss to the Pelicans, the Hornets won the last three to cause a little bit of chaos in the standings. The Bulls don’t have quite as much to play for though as it seems pretty set that they’ll finish the regular season with the coveted 10 seed.

They’re still led by the triumvirate of Zach LaVine, DeMar DeRozan, and Nikola Vucevic. LaVine has been leading the way while DeRozan has fallen into a more clear second banana instead of the 1a and 1b dynamic the two had early in their pairing. Vucevic is a good third fiddle.

The Bulls have been hot from deep lately, so that’ll stress what had been a very good Hornets defense prior to Tuesday’s win over the Thunder. The Hornets will be looking for another breakout performance from a youngster since wins and losses mean nothing at this point.

See you on the other side. ✌️

Hornets sign Kobi Simmons to two-way contract

2023-03-29T23:15:00-04:00

Photo by Kent Smith/NBAE via Getty Images

The Hornets fill out their roster for the home stretch.

The Charlotte Hornets are signing guard Kobi Simmons to a two-way contract according to Shams Charania of The Athletic.

The Charlotte Hornets are signing guard Kobi Simmons on a two-way contract out of their NBA G League affiliate Greensboro Swarm, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) March 29, 2023

Simmons has long been part of the Hornets organization. He joined the team for the preseason in 2019 and has been a mainstay with the Greensboro Swarm ever since. He’s averaged 18.2 points, 4.0 assists, and 2.5 3-pointers made per game in the G League this season.

Simmons gives the Hornets guard depth as almost all of their ball handlers get shut down with the end of the season. He’ll try to show he belongs at the NBA level as he tries to crack the NBA heading into the offseason.

Recap: PJ Washington scores career-high 43 points as Hornets top Thunder, 137-134

2023-03-28T23:08:07-04:00

Photo by Zach Beeker/NBAE via Getty Images

Three-straight wins for the good guys!

PJ Washington dropped a career-high 43 points, including 22 in the fourth quarter as his late-game takeover powered the Charlotte Hornets to a 137-134 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder, their third-straight.

Washington shot 16-24 from the floor, made five threes, added six rebounds and five assists to lead Charlotte (26-51) and became the sixth Hornet ever to have 40-5-5 in a game. Kai Jones logged his first-career double-double with career-highs of 12 points and 14 rebounds. Théo Maledon added season-highs of 19 points and nine assists with a career-high four blocks. JT Thor had career-highs of 14 points and four assists. James Bouknight tied his career-high of five assists and Svi Mykhailiuk’s two blocks were a career-best. Career-highs all around tonight.

Isaiah Joe led Oklahoma City (37-39) with 33 points, one of three Thunder to finish with 30-plus. Josh Giddey had 31, 10 rebounds and nine assists and Jalen Williams put up 31 on 11-16 shooting. Lu Dort added 16 points and seven rebounds. Giddey, Joe and Williams, all of whom are under the age of 23, combined for 95 points. Not bad.

With Dennis Smith Jr. a late scratch, Maledon and Bryce McGowens comprised the starting backcourt in just the second start of McGowens’ career. The Hornets came out strong in the first, which has developed into somewhat of a trend across the last few games. Charlotte didn’t shoot overly well but they did hold the Thunder to just 23 points, with Mykhailiuk providing a spark off the bench as they led 26-23 after one.

Washington led the offense all night long, racking up 12 points by the halfway point of the second, though the Hornets fell off the pace a bit as Oklahoma City’s offense woke up. The Thunder ended up bouncing back to score 45 points in the second and take a double-digit lead into the locker room, 68-57, getting basically whatever they wanted when driving into the paint. Washington had 14 points and three boards through the first two quarters.

OKC wins Q2, 45-31, to take a 68-55 lead into half; team-high 14 PTS for PJ Washington

Thunder shot 64% in Q2 (16/25); Charlotte wasn't too far behind at 61%, but had 7 TOV and allowed 24 PITP in the frame
— Sam Perley (@sam_perley) March 29, 2023

McGowens’ third triple of the night got the Hornets within 10 at the start of the second half, then Washington buried one from the top of the key to make it 74-68 and force a Thunder timeout. The momentum went back and forth for the rest of the quarter, with the Thunder unable to build a substantial lead but getting enough crafty scoring from Giddey and Williams to create buckets whenever the Hornets got too close. Charlotte’s young players all made an impact while they battled to stay around. After Mykhailiuk’s bonus free throw, with less than two seconds to go, the Hornets trailed by just six, 99-93 at the end of the third.

Nick Richards be slammin'‼️ @iamnickrichards | @drpepper pic.twitter.com/xg743BnMCo
— Charlotte Hornets (@hornets) March 29, 2023

The floodgates opened in the fourth quarter. Charlotte jumped out to a 16-4 run, storming back in front as Washington completely take over the game. He scored 14 points in less than five minutes as the Hornets put their foot on the gas, building a newfound lead out to 10 points before the Thunder could blink. Maledon’s three made it a 13-point game with 5:59 to go, but the Thunder fired back with a 19-6 run from there to tie it at 129. It got close, but the Hornets never fell behind late. Thanks to 22 fourth-quarter points from Washington and a couple of crucial misses at the line from Giddey and Williams in the closing seconds, the Hornets snuck out of Oklahoma City with their third-straight win.

Theo smooth with it#LetsFly pic.twitter.com/A4CtIcXqpN
— Charlotte Hornets (@hornets) March 29, 2023

The Hornets are back in action on Friday when they face the Chicago Bulls.

Charlotte Hornets at Oklahoma City game thread

2023-03-28T19:30:00-04:00

Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images

Only one more road game after this one. No more games later than 7pm. Pretty crazy.

This is now an open thread!

Hornets sign Xavier Sneed to 10-day contract

2023-03-28T12:05:00-04:00

Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images

The Kansas State alum gets his first chance on the main roster for Charlotte.

The Charlotte Hornets have signed Xavier Sneed to a 10-day contract, first reported by The Charlotte Observer’s Rod Boone.

#Hornets are signing Xavier Sneed to a 10-day contract, league sources told @theobserver. Sneed averaged 12.5 points, 4.7 rebounds and 2.4 assists in 32 games for the Greensboro Swarm this season. Move will bring the roster to 15.
— Rod Boone (@rodboone) March 28, 2023

As Boone mentions above, Sneed has spent this season in the G League with the Greensboro Swarm. On top of his nightly averages, Sneed has buried 63 triples in 32 regular season appearances with the Swarm at a 31.8 percent clip, though that percentage bumps up to 45.1 percent during the Showcase Cup. Last season, he played in nine NBA games on a pair of 10-day contracts — two with Memphis and seven with the Utah Jazz, who later signed him to a Two-Way deal and kept him around for the 2022 Summer League. Sneed also had a stint with the Niagara River Lions of the Canadian Elite Basketball League in the spring of 2021.

Sneed played for the Hornets Summer League team in 2021 and was a member of the training camp roster after going undrafted in 2020. After being a part of the organization for the better part of three years, it’s nice to see Sneed get a shot with the big club in the regular season. He hasn’t shot as efficiently this season, but he’s shown plenty of potential as a three-and-D wing with the Swarm. This is an effective use of an open roster spot down the stretch on a player that’s more than earned a chance to prove himself on an NBA floor.

Preview: Hornets travel to Oklahoma City to take on Thunder

2023-03-28T11:30:00-04:00

Sam Sharpe-USA TODAY Sports

After giving the Thunder an indirect boost in the standings, the Hornets go toe to toe with them.

What: Charlotte Hornets (25-51) at Oklahoma City Thunder (37-38)

When: 8:00pm EDT

Where: Paycom Center; Oklahoma City, OK

How to watch: Bally Sports Southeast, NBA League Pass

Injuries

CHA:

INJURY UPDATE: @hornets at OKC 3/28

Ball (R Ankle Surgery) out
Martin (L Knee Soreness) out
Rozier (R Foot Discomfort) out
Hayward (L Thumb Sprain) doubtful
Oubre (R Shoulder Strain) questionable
— Charlotte Hornets PR (@HornetsPR) March 27, 2023

OKC: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander—questionable (ankle), Lindy Waters III—Out (foot)

The Thunder and the Hornets are buddies right now. The Thunder have been nipping at the heels of the Mavericks for the 10th seed and final play-in spot. The Hornets’ two consecutive wins over the Mavs helped the Thunder leapfrog them into that spot. Now they go head to head. Will the Hornets continue to help? Or will they go double cross double spoiler?

The Hornets are out the majority of their starting lineup and a couple of the top fill-ins for those spots. They are depleted and have nothing to play for except momentum. The Thunder are trying to make the playoffs for the first time in this new era, but they could be missing their most important piece.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander makes the Thunder go. He’s averaging 31.3 points per game and is is present on MVP ladders even though he has no shot to win. He’s very very good. If he doesn’t play, it’s an entirely different Thunder team.

Josh Giddey and rookies Jalen and Jaylin Williams form the rest of the core along with Lu Dort and sharpshooting Isaiah Joe. If Shai doesn’t play, it’ll be tough for the Thunder to manufacture offense, which might make this an ugly, low scoring affair. If Shai does play, the Thunder will probably win pretty easily given all of the Hornets absences.

The next phase of At The Hive

2023-03-27T08:00:00-04:00

How can you tell that this is an old picture? Only true hoop heads know. | Sam Sharpe-USA TODAY Sports

The future is coming.

Many of you have been asking what’s going to happen to At The Hive at the end of its association with SB Nation at the end of this month. That date is coming at the end of this week, so I think it’s time I tell you guys what’s been going on behind the scenes.

I’ve been working on building a new site from the ground up. It will still be atthehive.com, so no need to change your bookmarks or remember a new site to navigate too. Without the SB Nation support, we won’t be the same SB Nation site. That means the format will look a little different, the commenting platform won’t be the same, and you won’t be able to use your old SB Nation login. However, I’ve put a lot of time and effort into implementing a commenting platform that I think all of you will like. There are some things that aren’t the same (no Z button to go to the next comments, some that are the same (unread comments showing in a different color), and some things that are better (the ability to get notified when other users reply to your comment, etc.).

The fact that we’ll be an independent site makes it more flexible though. Early on, expect it to be pretty simplistic while we build. The site will become more rich with content as we go. I’m also asking you guys to provide feedback as to what works, what doesn’t, what you’d like to see, and stuff like that. In short, what you see Day 1 probably won’t be anything like what it’ll be long term. After all, you guys are what make the site, so it needs to be a place you guys like to go.

And lastly, since it won’t be supported by a larger network, there won’t be anyone paying me to run it. I’ve set up a place on the site where you guys can make one time or monthly donations like Wikipedia does if you want to chip in to make the site more financially viable for me to keep running.

As for the logistics, the site will probably be down this weekend while I get the domain in my possession and do some final setup of the site related to that. My goal is to have the site fully up and running on Monday April 3rd. Hope to see all of you there!

Hit me up in the comments if you have questions or concerns.

Recap: Youngins shine as Hornets sweep Mavericks, 110-104

2023-03-26T15:32:00-04:00

Photo by Kent Smith/NBAE via Getty Images

The Hornets may have ruined the Mavericks season.

Gordon Hayward scored 22, PJ Washington scored 21, and young guys across the roster made contributions as the Charlotte Hornets completed the season sweep of the Dallas Mavericks with a 110-104 win.

Since we missed the recap for the last game, the two teams were kind enough to repeat the first quarter for us. The Mavericks looked lethargic and disinterested while the Hornets came out hot from the field. Gordon Hayward scored 11 first quarter points and the Hornets jumped out to an early double digit lead. The Hornets limited the Mavs from deep and led by 14 going into the second.

The Mavericks, and more specifically Luka Doncic, woke up in the second quarter. Luka finally made his first field goal from the field, and that got him into a rhythm. He hit a couple of threes down the stretch to pull the Mavericks within single digits in the later parts of the first half. PJ Washington anchored the Hornets offensively with a couple of nice buckets inside to give him 12 first half points. James Bouknight made a cameo appearance as well and hit a three and made a nice driving layup in short succession. At the break, the Hornets led by eight.

Both teams contributed to a sloppy start to the second half which featured Kyrie Irving getting a fan decked out in Washington DC sports fan attire removed from the premises. Just typical stuff. Mark Williams, who was very good despite his lack of mention up to this point, entered double double territory early in the half. Bryce McGowens hit back to back threes around midway through the quarter to counter the increasingly hot shooting Mavericks. JT Thor followed that with a pair of his own. A bucket and a pair of free throws from Theo Maledon put the Hornets up eight heading into the fourth quarter.

The teams traded baskets in the early going of the fourth, but the Mavericks inched back into the game and had a chance to take the lead midway through the fourth. They took it on their second try. Gordon Hayward rectified that with six points in two possessions. The Mavericks took a timeout and called the play where they answered with two 3-pointers of their own to retake the lead. PJ Washington took it back with a three from the corner. A few possessions later, he found Dennis Smith cutting backdoor to put the Hornets up five with just over a minute to play.

DSJ IS AT IT AGAIN! @Dennis1SmithJr | #LetsFly pic.twitter.com/i0HjCas8di
— Bally Sports: Hornets (@HornetsOnBally) March 26, 2023

After a Maxi Kleber three, Hayward found Mark Williams inside for a lay in. On the other end, Williams forced a miss on a Luka Doncic three. The Hornets rebounded and played the free throw game from there.

Mark Williams finished with 15 points and 16 rebounds and four huge points to help put the game away. JT Thor hit three 3-pointers. Bryce McGowens finished with nine points, four rebounds, and four assists. James Bouknight played and scored five points. Strong showings across the board.

The two wins over the Mavericks have pushed the Mavericks to the 11 seed in the West and out of the playoff picture. Not only that, but Luka Doncic picked up his 16th technical foul of the season in the third quarter, meaning he’s facing a one game suspension if it doesn’t get rescinded.

The Hornets, who have helped push the Thunder into the 10th seed in the last couple of days, will visit their new buddies in Oklahoma City on Tuesday.