This is awesome news for the Charlotte Hornets.
The NBA announced terrific Charlotte Hornets news on Tuesday.
Hornets head coach Charles Lee is the Eastern Conference Coach of the Month for January.
Lee becomes the fourth Hornets head coach in franchise history to win Coach of the Month and is the first since Steve Clifford won the award in March of the 2015-16 season.
Under Lee, Charlotte went 11-6 in the month of January, totaling the most wins in the Eastern Conference. The Hornets ranked first in the NBA in net rating (11.5) and offensive rating (121.1) and fifth in defensive rating (109.6).
Charlotte was the only team to rank in the top five in both offensive rating and defensive rating in January. The Hornets also led the league in rebounding percentage (55.6%) and second-chance points per game (18.3) while ranking third in 3-pointers made per game (15.8) and fourth in 3-point percentage (38.9%) last month.
Charlotte finished the month of January on a six-game winning streak and with a +151 point differential on the road, tied for the highest point differential on the road in a calendar month in NBA history. The Hornets set a franchise record for margin of victory on the road with a 55-point win at Utah against the Jazz, held the Oklahoma City Thunder to their season-low point total in a 27-point road win and snapped an 11-game losing streak to the Philadelphia 76ers with a 37-point win at Spectrum Center, the team's largest margin of victory in a home game this season.
The Hornets are 23-28 on the season. They are in 11th place in the Eastern Conference standings. Lee and Co. are one game back of the Atlanta Hawks for the 10th spot. Seed 7-10 make the NBA play-in tournament.
It's been a great turnaround for the Hornets, who beat LeBron James, Luka Doncic and the Los Angeles Lakers in Los Angeles. Players have fully bought into Lee's vision and it shows on the court, as Charlotte is playing as a strong, collective unit.
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