Hornets must confront demons in Portland to snap skid
The Charlotte Hornets had their franchise-record 10-game road winning streak snapped in Phoenix on Sunday.
Now they look to start a new one in a place they have traditionally struggled.
The rising Hornets will attempt to earn just their second victory in their past 18 visits to Portland when they face off with the Trail Blazers on Tuesday night.
Charlotte's woes in Portland include a 15-game slide that followed a March 2008 win when the franchise was known as the Bobcats. Charlotte didn't prevail again in the Pacific Northwest until February 2024, when the Hornets posted a 93-80 victory.
The Hornets then lost the next game in Portland after that streak-busting victory, falling 141-88 on Feb. 22, 2025.
Second-year Charlotte coach Charles Lee is mainly worried about the Hornets snapping their two-game overall losing streak. The Hornets fell 128-120 against the visiting Miami Heat on Friday, then lost 111-99 to the Suns on Sunday.
"We've just got to continue to stay together, focus on the right things," Lee said. "Focus on all the great habits that we have built, and we just kind of let go of it a little bit (Sunday) in some of the more adverse situations. Our group always responds, so looking forward to getting after it in the next game."
The Hornets hadn't fallen on the road since a 136-116 loss to the Golden State Warriors on Jan. 17. During the 10-game winning streak, Charlotte won by more than 20 points on five occasions.
Against the Suns, though, the Hornets were held to 41 second-half points as the streak evaporated.
"The whole night, (the Suns) really amped up their physicality," Lee said. "Early in the game, we had a nice rhythm going, and then all of a sudden, as they got down, they just started being a little bit more active. Their overall defensive activity was the thing that bothered us the most."
LaMelo Ball produced 22 points and six assists to lead Charlotte. He had four treys and has made 17 in four games this month.
The Trail Blazers are coming off a convincing 131-111 victory over the visiting Indiana Pacers on Sunday night.
Scoot Henderson scored a season-high 28 points on 10-of-15 shooting, had six assists and didn't commit any turnovers in 26 minutes.
"That was the game plan," Henderson said. "Don't turn the ball over ... just trying to take care of the ball more."
The third-year point guard missed the first 51 games and didn't make his season debut until Feb. 6 due to a torn left hamstring.
Henderson is averaging 12.9 points and 4.5 assists in 13 games (three starts) but is shooting just 39.3% from the field and 25.4% from 3-point range.
In fact, Henderson shot just 10-for-41 (24.4%) from the field and 3-for-21 (14.3%) from 3-point range in a four-game span before the breakout performance.
"It was a great bounce-back from him, just being aggressive," Trail Blazers interim coach Tiago Splitter said. "He helped us push the pace, he made shots and drove strong to the basket, so the confidence is there."
Henderson's belief in himself didn't waver.
"Never doubted myself ever," Henderson said. "Good games or bad game, it's a next-play mentality."
Henderson didn't fare well during Portland's 109-93 loss in Charlotte on Feb. 28. He had eight points on 3-of-12 shooting and missed all seven of his 3-point attempts.
Jrue Holiday scored 25 points for the Trail Blazers. Brandon Miller led Charlotte with 26 points.
Portland All-Star Deni Avdija (back) returned from a six-game absence against Indiana and had 18 points, eight assists, five rebounds and three blocks in 25 minutes.