Charlotte turns up the pace in dominant, highlight-filled performance against Memphis

Brandon Miller started the preseason slow before he began to percolate in the second half of Saturday's win over the Mavericks. His play reached a fever pitch against Memphis.

The third-year swingman got the party started with a deflection that led to the first of many alley oops for the Hornets on Wednesday night. The peak of his NBA career will be defined by his play on defense, and by finishing tonight's game with 21 points, six assists, three steals and a block, Miller laid out the blueprint for the 'elite two-way' player he vowed to become after he burst onto the scene as a rookie.

Kon Knueppel finds his stroke

This play won't lead Get Up tomorrow morning, but it is emblematic of a return to form for the rookie who has struggled with his jumper in preseason action. Knueppel finished the night 3/6 from downtown in what ended up as his best all-around performance as a Hornet thus far.

Kalkbrenner starts the break, Ball and Bridges turn back the clock

This highlight starts with Ryan Kalkbrenner shutting it down on defense. The rookie center has been immense in Charlotte's two wins, playing dominant two-way hoops that alter conversation about the team's ceiling in 2025-26.

Kalkbrenner's statistical output (seven points, seven rebounds, a block) was meager, but he continued to do all of the little things right. Sealing guards in transition, walling off ball handlers in the paint, impacting shots without blocking them - he did it all in his 18 minutes.

Ball and Bridges put the icing on the cake.

Bridges led the team in scoring, amassing 29 points and 10 rebounds in his second-straight dominant performance. Ball, the set-up man for the highlight, did what he does best: lobbing a ball high towards rim that floats gently into the waiting hands of a teammate who detonates at the rim.

After struggling for the majority of the first half, Ball flipped the switched after halftime, winding up with 23 points, eight assists, five rebounds, and enough highlights to create a season's worth of pregame hype videos.

The pièce de résistance

LaMelo and Brandon sent the starters to the bench for good with this highlight you have to see to believe.

Charles Lee must be hoping that his team can bottle this up for next week, because his Hornets looked ready for prime time in Greensboro.

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