It may only be preseason, but the Charlotte Hornets are showing signs of progress, picking up their second win in three nights by defeating the Memphis Grizzlies 119-94.

Before the game, head coach Charles Lee had a plan to give some players, including LaMelo Ball, the evening off. Despite five rotation players in street clothes, the Hornets didn’t shy away, scoring 35 points in the first quarter.

The Hornets really won the game in the second quarter when they pressured the defense and scored a total of 17 points. Charlotte built her lead up to 17 and used cruise control the rest of the way.

Just a few nights ago, Miller shot 2 of 13 from the field, including an abysmal 1 of 10 from beyond the three-point arc. It must have just been a bad day at the office, because he proved on Thursday night that he is definitely on the verge of a shooting crisis. Miller was on fire all night long, shooting an efficient 8/13 (6/8 3FG).

Yes, it’s preseason, but that’s still a major concern. The Hornets have turned the ball over 20 times in each of their three games. It would be one thing if the main culprits were people on the fringes of the rotation or those who would likely be on the roster just to round out the preseason roster, but that’s not the case. Vasilije Micic and Tre Mann had four each, while Miles Bridges and Nick Richards accounted for three each.

Despite Mark Williams being unavailable, the Hornets are +13, +7 and +7 on the glass in their first three preseason games. That was a sore spot a year ago for this group, which finished last in the NBA (47.3 rpg). It was a total team effort and that was the case again tonight as pretty much everyone who played collected three or more rebounds. Nick Richards led the way with 11 points.

The Hornets will face the New York Knicks for the second time this preseason on Tuesday at Madison Square Garden. The meeting point is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. EST.

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