After losing a nationally televised game to the Charlotte Hornets back in January, Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs had retribution on their mind.

Both teams were shot out of a cannon to start the game, trading buckets and highlights before the Spurs eventually took control and choked out the Hornets for the rest of the contest. A mix of foul trouble, poor shooting, and the ‘Do Not Trespass’ sign that Wembanyama plastered around the restricted area led to the Hornets’ loss, the second of this four-game roadie.

Below is a series of thoughts, takeaways, and highlights bundled into a neat package called the four-point play.

1 Highlight of the Night

Kon Knueppel’s smooth fadeaway

There wasn’t really a Hornets highlight that stood out in this one, so we’ll highlight this bucket from Kon in the first half that got him off the mark.

Nice bit of individual skill by Kon to get his first bucket.

Charlotte is down seven at the end of the first quarter, but I think their offense has generally been pretty good.

Feels like an early start at the end of a road trip type of game. pic.twitter.com/G62DI0VN1w

— Matt Alquiza (@malquiza8) March 14, 2026

Knueppel got Carter Bryant on his hip, took advantage of his over-aggression in attempting to block a layup, and smoothly hit the fadeaway jumper over his fellow rookie. Shoutout to Ryan Kalkbrenner for the seal on Wemby to open the lane, too.

2 Game-Defining Stats

Brandon Miller 2/14 shooting
Charlotte -15 on the glass

I wrote pregame that ‘Charlotte’s offense goes as Miller does,’ and that ‘he’ll be a major key to this afternoon’s tilt in San Antonio.’

Safe to say I hit that proverbial nail on the head.

Miller really struggled to find airspace against the Spurs’ dogged wing defenders, and when he did get a chance to attempt a clean look, Miller couldn’t take advantage. The third-year swingman missed all seven of his two-point attempts, and was clearly bothered by San Antonio’s physicality as well as Victor Wembanyama’s ever-looming presence in the paint.

The main way the Hornets win the possession battle is on the glass. Charlotte is one of the league’s premier rebounding teams on both ends, but they were stymied by Wemby, Luke Kornet, and San Antonio’s relentless physicality on the boards.

This game felt like what it was for the Hornets: an early tip-off in the last game of a week-long road trip. I won’t consider their struggles anything more than a blip on the radar.

3 Players of the Game

Kon Knueppel: 20 points, six rebounds, two assists
LaMelo Ball: 17 points, four rebounds, two assists
Miles Bridges: 22 points, four rebounds, two assists

Knueppel’s third quarter was the best frame of his rookie season. The ROY favorite poured in 17 points (a career-high for a quarter), knocking down a trio of triples and finishing a pair of lay ups on top of a few free throws, all after a first half in which he only coverted on a single shot attempt. Kon’s ability to put poor games, halves, and quarters behind him is well beyond his years.

LaMelo Ball’s foul trouble was a major story in this game. He was a man possessed in his limited minutes, putting pressure on the Spurs with sublime shot making and defensive effort that led to three steals and a block. It’s easy to wonder if the game would have been different if he didn’t pick up a couple of cheap fouls in the first half.

Bridges put together another good effort after struggling his his return from suspension. His ability as a switch-hunter is key to Charlotte’s bench heavy attacks, and the team is much better off when he is shooting and finishing around the rim with confidence.

Four Takeaways From the Loss

1. Coby White coming along

The Hornets really need Coby White to play like he did today moving forward. He chipped in 18 points, four rebounds, and a pair of assists, while impacting the defensive end with his size and physicality. There are extended stints in which Charlotte relies on White to drive offense, and they need him to come through, especially in the massive games they have on tap this week.

2. Ryan Kalkbrenner has arrived

Kalkbrenner has been really good of late.

His ability to contest without fouling has been key to a number of scoring runs for Charlotte, as they can trust their big man to wall off the rim without giving opposing teams easy points at the line.

If Kalkbrenner can start shooting threes like Charles Lee hinted at, the sky is the limit for him.

3. The Wemby Effect

Watching Wembanyama do his thing boggles the mind.

His combination of size, grace, and IQ defies reason, and you could watch the Hornets re-think everything they did in real time when Wemby patrolled the paint. He likely won’t win the MVP award, but it’s hard to think of another player in the league that has the same type of two-way impact that he does.

4. The biggest week of the season?

Even though the Hornets continue to win games (7-3 in their last 10), they haven’t made up any ground in the Eastern Conference standings. They’ll have the chance to do so this week with games against fellow playoff hopefuls Orlando and Miami looming, ahead of must-win contests with the tanking Grizzlies and Kings.

If Charlotte is going to climb their way out of the 10 seed and at least host one Play-In game, they have to handle business during this upcoming home stand.

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