The San Antonio Spurs fell to the red-hot Charlotte Hornets despite 36 solid minutes of play, and Mitch Johnson had to remind his team that basketball is a 48-minute sport.
The San Antonio Spurs fell to the Charlotte Hornets on Saturday afternoon, losing 111-106. The Hornets, propelled by Brandon Miller, have now won six games in a row. Of course, it didn't help that Victor Wembanyama was not his usual All-Star self, scoring 16 mostly inefficient points.
Rookie Dylan Harper led the way with 20 points, and both Devin Vassell and Julian Champagnie started, with Harrison Barnes demoted to the bench. The Spurs rallied back in the second half, tying the game up at 102 apiece, although it was too little, too late.
After the game, Mitch Johnson was quick to call out his team's lack of discipline.
Spurs 'Fell Asleep' In Loss to Hornets
With the start time moved up to 11:00 AM thanks to an impending snowstorm, the Spurs didn't quite get the rest they may have needed, although, to be fair, neither did their opponent.
The Spurs got outscored in the second quarter 35-17. It was actually the only quarter the Spurs lost, although the damage had long been done. Wembanyama made only one field goal in that frame, and Harper was the only player to really get it going, making all of his shots en route to six points.
"I thought our discipline of how we wanted to guard multiple actions was not up to standard," said Mitch Johnson after the game. "I thought we fell asleep a couple of times in terms of not staying connected to him got lost in transition. The offense took some tough shots and turnovers. You win three quarters out of four and still lose the game. That means you had a quarter that obviously had multiple things not going well, and I think that was the case there in the second."
Miller went off for 16 points in the second quarter, outscoring the entire Spurs' roster for 12 minutes. Between Moussa Diabate, Miles Bridges, and even Kon Knueppel, the Hornets had more than enough physicality to get under the Spurs' skin, and San Antonio didn't really arrive until the second half.
By then, the game was already out of hand. The Spurs will return home to the Frost Bank Center on Sunday and will hope to change their fortunes against the Orlando Magic.