A road weary finale. What Steve Clifford said after Hornets’ trip ends with loss to Chicago
Wrapping up a nearly two-week road trip probably gave the Charlotte Hornets a sigh of relief.
Losses and injuries were about the only thing they experienced during the past 12 days. And there certainly wasn’t anything to cheer about after dropping a 104-91 decision to the Chicago Bulls at United Center on Friday night.
“This was a challenging trip,” coach Steve Clifford said. “I thought the guys did well. I thought we played a little tired tonight, but we hung in there.”
Unable to piggyback their spirited slump-busting win over Sacramento, the Hornets fell short for the 12th time in their past 13 matchups and lost another player to — not shockingly — an ankle injury.
PJ Washington didn’t return after exiting in pain at the end of the first quarter. Washington had trouble putting pressure on his right leg after landing on backup center Nathan Mensah’s foot, forcing him to join the Hornets’ walking wounded list that’s already crowded with LaMelo Ball, Mark Williams and Gordon Hayward.
When asked if he had spoken with Washington to gauge the severity of the injury, Clifford said: “No. I have not yet.”
The latest ailment follows a numbing trend: When the Hornets get one player back, someone else seems to get hurt. Brandon Miller was back following his one-game absence as a late scratch against the Kings, continuing the Hornets’ constant lineup shuffling.
And if the trip wasn’t rough enough for the Hornets, learning they had their lone nationally-televised game yanked a week before it’s going to be played has to also sting. ESPN pulled the plug on the Hornets’ date against Victor Wembanyama and San Antonio on Jan. 12, opting to no longer televise the matchup and instead going with New Orleans at Denver in that late-night slot.
Here’s what Clifford had to say after the Hornets (8-24) succumbed to the Bulls:
On what happened in the second half
“In the fourth, I think they started 8-0 or 8-2” Clifford said, “and it (the deficit) went from five to 13. We got it under double figures a couple of times, but I thought our transition defense really hurt us tonight, too, which we’ve been doing better with.
“I think their defense was really good. We struggled scoring against them last time. They were aggressive with Terry. They brought a second defender on a lot of his pick-and-rolls and we didn’t move the ball the way we need to.”
On Miles Bridges getting into a scoring rhythm again
“Yeah, and he scores in a lot of different ways,” Clifford said. “Tonight, he scored in the post, he scored on some isos. He’s got a good pick-and-roll relationship with Terry (Rozier) both ways with him screening and with him with the ball. So, it’s something we will have to build on.”
Clifford added: “I think he’s getting more and more in rhythm. He’s actually played a lot better than I thought he would, coming off missing that much time. I think things are coming together for him. I think if we can get our guys back here so we can get to play in groups it would be better for everybody. That’s part of it with him also.”
On Cody Martin’s impact, putting him in starting lineup for second straight game
“He can guard the primary scorer (and) he’s our best perimeter defender,” Clifford said, adding: “He’s made a big difference for our team. Our defense has gotten a lot better and he’s a professional player. So, I think it’s going to take him a little time to get back to what he’ll do. But he’s worked so hard. He’s done everything he can do since he’s been out.”
