Hornets lose to the Spurs, 114-90, thanks to one of the worst halves of basketball you’ll ever see

Miles Bridges scored 25 points, giving him back to back 20-point games for the first time in his career, but an abysmal second half wiped it all away as the Charlotte Hornets lost to the San Antonio Spurs, 114-90.

Marvin Williams got the surprise start over PJ Washington as the rookie deals with an ankle injury. Miles Bridges started strong with a driving dunk and driving layup in the first couple minutes. The teams traded baskets for most of the quarter. Malik Monk blocked two Patty Mills shots in one possession to make up for his turnover that gave the Spurs the ball to begin with. Devonte’ Graham drilled a corner three at the last second to pull within two points of the Spurs heading into the second quarter.

The second quarter was one of the best runs of play we’ve seen from the Hornets this season. They played with terrific energy and pace and moved the ball extremely well. Willy Hernangomez bullied his way into double figures early in the period. Cody Zeller got a number of easy dunks handed to him from an assortment of teammates. The Hornets went on a 25-8 run while forcing bunches of turnovers and assisting on almost every made shot. The most exciting of those buckets was this one:

At the break the Hornets led by 13.

The Hornets started the second half on a 7-1 run, which included five more points from Miles Bridges. That gave them a 19-point lead, their largest of the game.

Stop reading here if you want to feel good about how this game went.

The Spurs responded to the 19-point deficit with 13 straight points of their own. Malik Monk finally snapped the five minute scoreless spell with a little floater. It took the Hornets another three minutes before their next points. In all, the Spurs outscored the Hornets 28-4 over the last 9:22 of the quarter. The Hornets turned the ball over 10 times during that stretch of play.

The quarter break didn’t have any effect. Patty Mills hit a 3-pointer, then Devonte’ Graham turned the ball over, then Patty Mills hit another three. The Spurs eventually built up a solid double digit lead while the Hornets looked completely incapable of stringing together a cohesive offensive possession. The Hornets never threatened the rest of the way.

Bridges finished with 25 points and four 3-pointers made. Cody Zeller flirted with a triple double for the second straight night, this time finishing with 14 points, 12 rebounds, and eight assists.

The Hornets will try to put together four full quarters of good play at home against the Magic on Monday.