Hornets Snap Losing Streak: Brandon Miller’s Clutch 4th + Vasa Micic to Nuggets Trade Re-Examined
The Charlotte Hornets finally snapped their losing streak with a thrilling victory over the Indiana Pacers, ending their eight-game skid. We break down Brandon Miller’s standout performance, including his show-stopping dunk and 11 clutch points in the fourth quarter. What does this win reveal about Miller’s growth, and how is head coach Charles Lee challenging him to step up under pressure?
We also explore the team’s weekend back-to-back performances, including the tough loss to Cleveland. Isaiah Wong’s hustle and DaQuan Jeffries’ unexpected minutes as an undersized center are just some of the surprising stories keeping the Hornets competitive despite being short-handed. Is GM Jeff Peterson on a hot streak with his under-the-radar roster additions? We debate how Wong, Jeffries, and others fit into the long-term vision.
Finally, we revisit the trade rumor mill—what’s the likelihood of Vasilije Micić being dealt to Denver? Could the Hornets leverage the Nuggets’ struggles to secure a deal that improves their frontcourt depth? Plus, a theory about T.J. McConnell’s seemingly personal vendetta against the Hornets. All this and more on this episode of Locked On Hornets.
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16 Comments
Thank you guys
I seen Dennis Smith Jr and Nick Richard's at the club Encore last night
Zeke Nnaji is a negative contract so we have to get a first, imo.
Love that Doug brought up that little tiff between Coach and BMill. That was a pivotal point in my opinion where Coach did the right thing by demanding more from BMill as he was beginning to let the game go and BMill reacting with a strong finish. You can tell he was raised well cause he responds positively to the "yelled at by dad" moments. I was super proud of him for bouncing back.
The Micic for Naji trade makes sense for both teams. Denver is so limited in the movies they can make, but this is one that is easily doable.
If my lip reading was correct… I think Coach Lee was getting on Brandon about fading away after getting doubled. I think he was asking Miller to be more aggressive. He said:
“Where’s your rage?!” 7:51
Charles isn't getting anywhere near enough credit for what is happening here. He's playing with – literally – half a list and about 1/3rd of his starting lineup, and has had to do so all season. Yet we keep rolling out and being competitive pretty much every night. First year coach operating under severe injury duress at a team that has accepted it's fate for years. 7-17 tells you nothing about the truth of this season.
Wonder if Nick Smith Jr will become expendable with Isaiah Wong bringing better defense and more consistent offense. Smith Jr is a streak scorer and whe he's on, it's great and when it's off, he's a liability because of his inconsistent defense. Wong is a better play maker than Smith Jr. Wouldn't be surprised if he gets packaged in a trade.
Believe Nnaji was a teammate of Josh Green at Arizona. Denver has 0 second round picks through 2031. The also do not have 2025, 2027 and 2029 first round picks through the same time period. Denver would have to acquire draft capital if it's needed to complete this trade. Otherwise, all they could offer would be the $5.25M trade exception received from the Reggie Jackson trade to Charlotte along with either DeAndre Jordan or Dayron Sharpe II.
The Hornets actually won? we're going to have to put some more players on IR.
Happy trails Vasa.
Regarding Micic's comment about minutes, Micic cannot start, it is impossible for him to be competitive against PG superstars like Morant, Brunson, Fox… He just needs minutes in a position of his strength. That is a slower paced second unit — 15-18minutes per game.. Lets say Hornets play slow paced Knicks or Magic, you want to speed them out of their comfort, then after Melo, second PG is Mann, and you do not bring Micic at all in the game. But against Pacers, Memphis, Bulls which love the Hornets pace, you bring in Micic and slow the game down, play it smart- hence he have a place in this team. All of that with notion that you need to take the ball out of LaMelo's hands when you want to slow down the pace, and direct the players not to shoot in the first 7 seconds, and I did not see that happen in the first games of the season (coaches fault, not LaMelo's)
No one is on blue sky give it up
Its my birthday so ty for entertaining my sickness on the show
Lee benching Melo proves to the team that Lee means business. Showing he holds everyone accountable proves that he wants to win and wants the best out of everyone.
First time I saw coach yell at brandon he looked so pissed at him and then brandon kinda walks off as he's still talking then he comes out so pissed and plays like a beast