Three eye-popping stats from the Hornets’ preseason opener vs. Knicks

The Charlotte Hornets and New York Knicks went down to the wire in the preseason opener on Sunday with the Knicks squeaking out a 111-109 win. Here are a few of the key stats from that game that are worth noting.

With Mark Williams (foot) out, I expected life in the paint and on the glass to be difficult against the New York Knicks. Instead, they were dead-even in points in the paint and actually won the edge on the glass, 46-39. Nick Richards snagged nine of those boards and also had three rejections on the night. A pretty solid effort from Charlotte’s frontcourt to not allow New York to bully them all night long.

The Hornets were one of the worst three-point shooting teams in the NBA a year ago, mainly due to LaMelo Ball and others being out. I was pretty confident they’d shoot it better from downtown, but I didn’t see a 17-for-38 (44.7%) performance to open up preseason play. LaMelo Ball hit four while Brandon Miller, Tre Mann, and rookie Tidjane Salaün each connected on three.

This was the most concerning area of last night’s game as the Hornets threw it away 20 times. Of course, you’re never going to operate a perfectly smooth offense on the first night of the new season, but 20 is way too much. Giving up that many possessions will lose you games, just like it did on Sunday. Even if they turned it over 15 times, they likely win the game.

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