On Wednesday, the NBA suspended Charlotte Hornets starters Miles Bridges and Moussa Diabate for four games. Despite this, their teammates managed to defeat the Atlanta Hawks just before the All-Star break, securing the ninth spot in the Eastern Conference.
Without Bridges and Diabate, the Hornets built a 19-point lead midway through the third quarter. Although the Hawks closed the gap to just one point, the Hornets recovered with two crucial defensive stops, helping them surpass Atlanta in the standings.
Hornets Have Talent, But Lack Depth
The young Hornets have been a surprise this year, going 14-7 in 2026 and winning 10 of their last 11 games. However, they will miss Bridges (18.2 points, 6.1 rebounds) and Diabate (9.2 points, 10.6 rebounds in his last 10 games) significantly.
Charlotte has received strong contributions from rookies like Kon Knueppel (18.9 points, 43.1% from three-point range), Ryan Kalkbrenner (8.2 points, 1.5 blocks), and Sion James, who has been effective as a defensive guard off the bench. However, the performance of veteran reserves has been lacking, and their support will be crucial with two starting forwards sidelined.
Grant Williams, playing in just his 14th game after recovering from an ACL tear, struggled on Wednesday with 1-of-9 shooting and 0-of-6 from three-point range, but managed to grab eight rebounds. Veteran backups Josh Green and Tre Mann combined for only eight points in 35 minutes. The Hornets will need to step up after the break, especially following Monday’s brawl with the Detroit Pistons.