The Charlotte Hornets suffered another defeat Thursday night, as the Phoenix Suns capitalized off of turnovers to hand the Hornets their eighth loss of the season. To make matters worse, the contest was certainly within reach for the Hornets, who led entering the fourth quarter and won the rebounding battle 52-31.
Coby White led the way for Charlotte, finishing with 21 points in 20 minutes, still playing on a minutes restriction after returning from a calf strain. Moussa Diabate returned from a brief two-game absence, tallying seven points and 13 rebounds. Grant Williams returned from injury as well, making his season debut, scoring 11 points off the bench. Devin Booker was as advertised for the home team, scoring 30 points on 12-for-20 shooting.
Prior to Charlotte's next matchup Sunday against the Los Angeles Clippers, here are three things to take note of.
3. A couple extra possessions would have resulted in a Hornets win
This loss is a tough pill to swallow for Hornets fans, who easily could've seen their team walk away with a victory. Shooting percentages were near equal for both sides, as the Hornets and Suns shot an identical 41% from the field and 80% from the free-throw line. Charlotte even shot better than the Suns from 3-point range, converting on 36% of their long-range attempts to Phoenix's 30%. So, how did the Hornets lose? Well, the Suns attempted 12 more field goals, due to Charlotte's influx of turnovers (27). In what ended as a five-point defeat, a few more possessions would have resulted in a Hornets' win.
2. Charlotte needs to show more fight in the fourth quarter
Through 12 games, the Hornets are now -84 in the fourth quarter. In fact, Charlotte hasn't outscored their opponents in the fourth in each of their last six games, including a home loss against the Philadelphia 76ers, where the Hornets were outscored 32-21 in the final frame. Looking ahead, Charles Lee's squad will need to finish stronger to take key victories.
1. It's hard to beat two teams at once
It's difficult enough to beat your opponent; it's even harder to beat yourselves and the opponent. Despite dominating the glass, finishing +21 on the boards, Charlotte lost the turnover battle -19, bailing out their opponents. All five of Charlotte's starters finished with four or more turnovers, including Sion James, who committed five. Royce O'Neale and Christian Anderson Jr. each committed multiple giveaways off the bench as well.
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This article originally appeared on Rookie Wire: 3 things from Charlotte's 101-96 loss to Phoenix
