Overview
- The Hornets started the game with a 51-44 halftime lead but lost 97-89 after coach Charles Lee benched Naz Reid for the entire second half on Wednesday.
- Lee told reporters the move was disciplinary and not injury related, saying Reid “didn’t meet our standards,” but he did not specify what Reid did or said to prompt the decision.
- Video and observers captured a late second-quarter exchange in which Reid appeared confused by play signals, and one Substack report suggested Reid may have said something that led to the benching, though that account is unconfirmed.
- The benching coincided with a second-half offensive collapse that left Brandon Miller as the primary scorer and fueled questions about whether the punitive call hurt Charlotte’s chance to win.
- The decision also produced operational fallout when sportsbooks voided some Reid-related bets because his midgame removal was not clearly injury-related, and the team has described the matter as addressed internally but still developing.