Three things we learned about the Charlotte Hornets in their win at Cleveland

They fell into a double-digit hole early and were searching for answers. They were unable to put it all together with any semblance of consistency, creating some frustrating moments that led to a little soul searching.

Sound familiar? It should.

That’s the situation the Charlotte Hornets found themselves in during their season opener against Indiana, and it was the same exact plight they were entangled in Friday night. They were behind by double digits and needed a huge rally to get back into it, resuscitating themselves in the second half.

Fueled by a 19-2 run to open the fourth quarter and a solid second-half showing from Miles Bridges, Gordon Hayward and Kelly Oubre, the Hornets ran past Cleveland 123-112 at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.

“We didn’t let it get that bad today,” Oubre said. “We knew that if we were going at the rate we were going it would have got like Wednesday, and we would have dug ourselves in another hole. So I’m just proud of us for staying resilient and just fixing the errors as we made them.”

That propelled the Hornets to do something they haven’t accomplished since 2016: win the first two games of their season.

“It was just our defense again,” Bridges said. “When we are locked in defensively I feel like we are one of the best teams in the NBA. We’ve just got to continue to stay locked in on defense, do the little things, defensive rebound, boxing out. Staying in our shifts, being in the flood (zone) and I think we’ll be good.”

Here are three things we learned in the Hornets’ win over the Cavs:

KELLY IS LIKE ‘WATER’

Coach James Borrego inserted Kelly Oubre in the first quarter as one of the first subs and the seventh-year pro, who started in the season opener for an injured Terry Rozier, paid immediate dividends. Canning all but one of his initial four shots, his eight quick points off the bench were beneficial for the Hornets’ sluggish offense at the outset.

Oubre was the main catalyst for them until Miles Bridges got hot, tossing in 17 of his 25 points in the first half. What’s noteworthy is the fashion in which he got it done. He did it in a variety of ways, firing from 3-point range and also driving to the basket. His struggles beyond the 3-point arc in his lone season with Golden State were well-documented, but he has been respectable shooting from deep in his short time with the Hornets.

Slightly cooling off after draining 2-of-3 attempts from 3-point range in the first half, he finished 4 of 7 and is 6 of 16 through these two games. Hitting that shot on a consistent basis should keep the defenders honest and not allow them to slack off so much on Oubre during drives.

“I’m water, man,” Oubre said. “I try to form into whatever situation I’m thrown into and succeed in it. So that was the main goal — just continue to be who I am no matter what Coach does, says with the lineups or anything like that. So that’s what it is.”

MILES WAS A BEAST

Everyone knows about Bridges’ high-flying style. He has his eyes set on becoming more well-rounded, and it begins with one thing in particular.

“My playmaking,” Bridges said. “If I can create for others, then I could be anywhere on the floor and make plays without just putting the ball in the basket. So I just want to make plays for others.”

He did that and then some against the Cavs. Bridges was a force with 30 points and seven rebounds, displaying a good stroke beyond the 3-point arc and knifing through the paint frequently.

“I missed a couple of easy ones early on, went 0 for 4 to start off the game,” Bridges said. “And then my teammates just got me going, Melo (Ball) finding me in transition and then I started hitting threes and everybody else, it was contagious. So I just stayed aggressive.”

PJ IS IN A GOOD MENTAL SPACE

PJ Washington hasn’t put up any massive numbers offensively yet. Certainly not like he did when he netted seven 3-pointers in his debut in 2019 and poured in 27 points, a franchise rookie record in a regular-season opener.

After posting a modest five points and making 1-of-7 shots against Indiana in the opener, he followed that performance with eight points and five rebounds. Although he hasn’t got it going from 3-point range yet, his ability to stretch the defense and provide the Hornets with a different look at the center position is something Borrego wants to take advantage of as much as possible.

“Well, he’s been good at that spot for us,” Borrego said. “Our numbers with him at the ‘5,’ it’s been good. He’s a problem matchup-wise at the ‘5.’ He can shoot it, put it on the floor, outrun guys. I thought he battled his tail off on the boards against a big, physical Indiana team. He didn’t give in, he had presence inside, So we want to take advantage of him offensively.

“That’s why he’s out there at the ‘5,’ but he’s holding his own defensively. He’s on the board, he’s talking, he’s active. He looks to be in a really good place mentally, which to me trumps anything we’re talking about. Whether he plays the ‘4’ or ‘5,’ mentally he’s in a good place.”