A lot has changed about the Charlotte Hornets this season: They take more 3-pointers. They switch constantly on defense. The bench is no longer a liability.
Here’s what hasn’t changed: They still can’t be trusted to win a close game.
A 19-point second-half lead isn’t impenetrable in the NBA. But at home, against an Oklahoma City Thunder team that entered this game at 2-4, it should have been sufficient. Instead, the Hornets lost 111-107 at Spectrum Center.
They are 4-5, but they are also 1-4 in games decided by four points or less this season. That is certainly nothing new.