After Hornets’ Crushing Crunch Time Loss to 76ers, Moussa Diabaté Shares Outlook on Late-Game Maturity

Late collapse costs Charlotte

The Hornets led by seven with 3:41 remaining. After Philadelphia missed a shot, Charlotte’s chances of winning were estimated at 93.7%. Instead, the 76ers closed the game with a 15-3 run. Charlotte made only one field goal in the closing stretch, with that basket coming 6.5 seconds before the final buzzer.

Diabaté points to execution

After the loss, Moussa Diabaté said Charlotte should have shown more composure late in the game. He pointed to mistakes in execution as the team tried to hold its lead.

“Good teams are always gonna punish you when you’re not executing,” Diabaté said. The Hornets had been without Kon Knueppel, Coby White and Grant Williams.

Confidence despite difficult stretch

Charlotte is on a three-game losing streak, but Diabaté said it was too early to panic. He described the schedule as difficult and noted that the team was still missing players.

Diabaté said he remained confident in the coaches’ plans and compared the situation with last season, when Charlotte had a poor start before improving in the second half. The team was 16-27 last year before that turnaround.

Reinforcements expected back

Coby White was set to return against the Detroit Pistons. Knueppel was expected to return after practicing with the Greensboro Swarm, while Williams was also expected to rejoin the rotation.

The Hornets have been trying to stay competitive while those players recover and learn what kind of team they are without LaMelo Ball. The report said Charlotte was only slightly below even as help approached.