Oct 26, 2025; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Charlotte Hornets head coach Charles Lee looks on from the bench against the Washington Wizards during the third quarter at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Rafael Suanes-Imagn Images Rafael Suanes-Imagn Images

Everything Charles Lee said following the Hornets' defensive collapse in Miami

Originally posted on Charlotte Hornets on SI
By Schuyler Callihan | Last updated Oct 29, 2025 11:03 AM ET

Defense and running the floor will be a major emphasis for the Charlotte Hornets as they prepare for their next game after allowing a whopping 144 points to the Miami Heat on Tuesday night.

After the game, head coach Charles Lee was interviewed by FanDuel Sports Network's Shannon Spake. Here's everything he had to say.

How this game got away

“It felt like it was one of those games that was a ton about transition. They played with good pace, their kick aheads, I think, kind of bothered us, even after makes. They were just able to get out and create some advantages early on in the clock, and they’re driving and kicking. Credit to them, a couple of guys made shots that maybe don’t shoot it as well as they did today, but they had it firing on all cylinders, and when we get to that point where we get close, we’ve got to buckle down, and we’ve got to defend a lot better. 144 isn’t going to cut it.”

If Norman Powell not playing changed anything

“Yeah, it does some things to your scouting report, especially a guy like that who is a big-time creator for them, but the rest of the game plan, it’s stuff that we work on at the beginning of training camp. It’s your transition defense, it’s guarding the ball, it’s great shift activity, and then it’s finishing possessions. They did a lot of things much better than us tonight.”

Ryan Kalkrenner playing 31 minutes and his performance

“I think he brings it on both ends of the floor. He gives us help and the ability to protect the paint on defense. And then offensively, he’s got a really good feel for his screening angles, how to work the dunker. His offensive rebounding and his passing, so a lot of different elements. I thought it was just a better matchup sometimes with some of the bigs they threw out there.”

The Hornets will be back in the friendly confines of Spectrum Center tomorrow night for another divisional matchup against the Orlando Magic. Tip-off is slated for 7 p.m. ET.