Hornets win 4th straight, Coby White scores 20 in home debut with 109-93 victory over Trail Blazers
Coby White made his home debut for the Charlotte Hornets on Saturday, his new team’s second game after being acquired from the Chicago Bulls at the NBA trade deadline.
Facing the Portland Trail Blazers in front of a home crowd at the Spectrum Center that included his former college coach Roy Williams, White came off the bench and scored 20 points in Charlotte’s 109-93 victory. He entered the game with 4:58 left in the first quarter, replacing LaMelo Ball.
Advertisement
Before making his Hornets debut on Tuesday (against his former team), White was out for three weeks with a calf injury. Charlotte knew about the injury after trading for him and decided to hold him out until the NBA All-Star break.
[Subscribe to Yahoo Sports NBA on YouTube]
White played 16 and 17 minutes, respectively, in his first two games with Charlotte as head coach Charles Lee brought him into the lineup. Against the Trail Blazers, he continued to gradually increase his playing time, up to 21 minutes.
By the time White entered Saturday’s game, the Hornets were already leading 20-10 with Brandon Miller scoring 7 points. He made his first shot of the game, a 3-pointer, which helped Charlotte finish the first quarter with a 29-17 lead.
Advertisement
Miller finished with 26 points (shooting 6 of 12 from 3) and 8 rebounds to lead all scorers. Ball added 15 points with 8 assists, while Miles Bridges had 14 points, 8 rebounds, 5 assists and 3 steals. In total, six Hornets scored in double figures.
[Get more Hornets news: Charlotte team feed]
Charlotte has now won four straight games – and 16 of its last 20 – to improve to 30-31. The Hornets currently sit in 10th place in the Eastern Conference standings, which would put them in the NBA play-in tournament, but they are just three games behind the Orlando Magic for the No. 7 seed.
Lee and his players have noticed the growing support for the team during its turnaround.
“I feel their enthusiasm, I feel their support,” the Hornets coach told Rod Moore of the Charlotte Observer. “Our team feels it. The arena has a different buzz. I think it’s always been very supportive of us, but I can feel it from the beginning in the starting lineups now.”
“And so we appreciate it,” he added. “We want more and we need to make sure we give them something to be able to come forward and support them and encourage them and be proud of them.”
Advertisement
The Hornets are off until Tuesday, when they host the Dallas Mavericks for the first set of back-to-back games. On Wednesday, they will face the Boston Celtics at TD Garden in what could be a playoff preview.
Coby White and Roy Williams reunite at UNC
The former North Carolina coach attended the Charlotte Hornets’ game against the Portland Trail Blazers before traveling to Chapel Hill to watch the Tar Heels play at Virginia Tech on February 28, 2026. (Photo by Jacob Kupferman/Getty Images)
(Jacob Kupferman via Getty Images)
White played for Roy Williams at North Carolina for the 2018-19 season and said he spoke to his former college coach Friday before meeting with him during pregame warmups. Williams attended Saturday’s matinee in Charlotte before heading to Chapel Hill for the Tar Heels’ home game against Virginia Tech.
“But he didn’t tell me he would be on the field,” White told reporters. “He said he didn’t know either. He was watching me every step of the way.”
“He’s obviously a legendary coach, but I’ve been gone for six, seven years,” he added. “For him to continue to reach out, like I always say, our relationship is bigger than basketball. He’s helped me through a lot of tough times in my life and he continues to help me.”
