Make it six wins in a row now for the Charlotte Hornets, who are surging in all facets of the game. The Hornets’ latest win comes in a Saturday afternoon showdown with the San Antonio Spurs, who have been one of the best teams in basketball all season long.

Charlotte faced adversity in the first half, trailing for all of the first quarter and some of the second. The Hornets were playing catch-up for the most part, that was until the Hornets made a run and ended the half up by double digits.

Before the big run to end the first half, some of the Hornets’ core players struggled, mainly Miles Bridges and Kon Knueppel. Knueppel had just come off a 34-point performance against the Mavericks, but only attempted one three-pointer in Saturday's matchup and missed it in the first half. The Spurs were running him off the three-point line and made it clear that limiting him was a focal point in their game plan.

Miles Bridges also couldn’t find a rhythm in the first half, finishing the first 24 minutes with just five points. While Knueppel and Bridges started slow, the rest of the Hornets picked up the slack, especially Brandon Miller and LaMelo Ball.

The Hornets ended the half on a 20-4 run, completely shifting the momentum of the game. Brandon Miller was the catalyst, leading all scorers with 18 points to end the first half. In the second quarter, Miller found his mark from three-point range, hitting three of. He scored 16 of his 18 first-half points in the second quarter alone.

As for LaMelo Ball, he kept the Hornets in the game even when they were trailing in the first half. Ball finished the half with 12 points, four assists, and five rebounds. Most importantly, he was efficient; he wasn’t forcing up contested shots like he’s been known to do in the past. Ball picked his spots well, and because of that, he shot 60% from the field in the first half.

San Antonio made a push back in the second half, cutting their deficit to as little as two points. They weren’t able to complete the comeback, though, as Miles Bridges scored seven points in the fourth quarter, leading the Hornets. Bridges made timely plays, including a blow-by drive past Victor Wembanyama, slamming the ball in with his right hand to create a four-point lead.

Charlotte beat the Spurs with a final score of 111-106, securing their sixth win in a row. Brandon Miller led the way with 26 points, followed by Collin Sexton, who was a spark off the bench with 21 points. With the Hornets surging on all levels right now, there’s one question that needs to be asked.

How High Is the Hornets’ Ceiling?

The Hornets went 11-6 in the month of January, winning their last six games in a row, and winning games over the likes of the San Antonio Spurs, Oklahoma City Thunder, Los Angeles Lakers, and others.

In January, the Hornets led the NBA in net rating at +10.8, followed by two of the best teams in basketball, the Thunder and Celtics. Charlotte still has work to do despite this great stretch. They're still 11th in the Eastern Conference and are five and a half games behind the six seed, which would guarantee them a playoff spot. If Charlotte can keep this rolling and build on this run, then their ceiling could be a first-round playoff exit.

No its not the most fun or exciting answer when talking about a team’s ceiling, but for Charlotte, the fans will take anything they can get, especially since they haven’t made the playoffs since 2016, when Kemba Walker–now an assistant coach for Charlotte–was leading the charge for Buzz City.

While it’s not the most exciting end goal or expectation, it’s growth, and a lot of it, even from the beginning of this season, the Hornets have evolved and improved by a large margin, and if that keeps going, that’s all that matters.