The Charlotte Hornets had lost six straight games since benching Naz Reid for the second half of their 97-89 loss to the Detroit Pistons on Oct. 28. They finally got a win thanks to a massive game from Reid.
Reid had 25 points and 13 rebounds as the Hornets beat the Cleveland Cavaliers Monday night, 124-112. His rebounding and outside shooting made a massive difference as Charlotte finally righted the ship.
Naz Reid responded to his benching
Hornets coach Charles Lee disciplined and publicly embarrassed Reid after the loss to the Pistons, telling reporters that Reid “didn’t meet our standards in the first half.” It’s not clear what Reid did, or didn’t do, to incur the wrath of his coach, but he didn’t return in a game Charlotte led by seven points at halftime, and lost by eight.
Immediately after his 24-minute benching, Reid experienced a shooting slump and his team went into a slump, period. The Hornets have had All-Rookie sharpshooter Kon Knueppel for just six minutes this season, while Brandon Miller, Dennis Schroder and Coby White have all suffered injuries.
Reid scored 28 points in a loss to the Brooklyn Nets to start his turnaround, while grabbing nine boards. He’s shooting 40 percent from deep in November, going 4-for-9 Monday as the Hornets went a scorching 23-for-46 from distance.