In an otherwise disappointing season, the Charlotte Hornets had a surprising result against the Toronto Raptors.
Considering the Toronto Raptors were on a nine-game winning streak, most expected them to take care of business against the Charlotte Hornets.
However, the Hornets shocked fans with a 118-111 overtime win against the Eastern Conference side.
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Another surprising thing about the game was head coach Charles Lee benching the duo of LaMelo Ball and Brandon Miller during crunch time.
Charles Lee on LaMelo Ball and Brandon Miller’s minutes restrictions
With the Hornets struggling to win in the 2025-26 season, many fans have turned against their supposed face of the franchise. So much so that there are rumors about Ball potentially getting traded.
But coming back to the Hornets’ stunning win over the Raptors, coach Lee explained why he had Ball and Miller on minutes restrictions.
“We’ll see how they recover after their first back-to-back in a while. You just have to keep the process, the long-term vision, in mind even when you’re in these moments,” Lee said after the game.
He added: “We want to win this game, obviously—every game we want to win really badly—and those two guys obviously help you do it.”
For context, Ball had 14 points, 2 rebounds, and 5 assists in 22 minutes, while Miller recorded just 7 points, 2 rebounds, and 3 assists in 25 minutes.
Charles Lee praises the Charlotte Hornets’ roster depth
Despite the backcourt duo being benched during critical moments of the game, coach Lee wasn’t worried one bit about his team’s performance.
Why? Well, he applauded the Hornets’ excellent depth in the roster during the postgame conference.
“But we do have really good depth, and so you lean on that depth in moments like this, and the maturity of those two guys to understand that there is a bigger picture and trying to maximize their availability.
“They did a good job of staying engaged even if they had to sit out for longer stretches than they’re used to, and then when they came in the game, they had an impact,” Lee concluded.
The Hornets are currently 6-14 with a two-game winning streak, but is limiting Ball and Miller the key to success for the team? Only time will tell.