Steve Clifford saw toughness in Seth Curry, who led the Hornets to back-to-back wins

Seth Curry’s team needed him, so he was there.

Roughly two years before the Charlotte Hornets acquired the sharpshooter, Curry had been picked up by the Brooklyn Nets. He had an ankle injury for the last five weeks of the 2021-22 season, for which he underwent surgery that May.

Curry, who scored 18 points in the Hornets’ 111-102 victory over the Indiana Pacers on Monday, wasn’t able to practice and could only participate in shootarounds. But his attitude didn’t waver. His team was in the middle of a playoff push, and he gave it everything he could.

That mind-set resonated with Steve Clifford, a defensive consultant with the Nets at that point. He’d been around other players who suffered injuries of that nature, and they just didn’t seem to suck it up and persevere the way Curry did.

The Hornets’ head coach was excited to bring in Curry, whom the team added along with Grant Williams in the trade that sent P.J. Washington to the Dallas Mavericks. Clifford feels his new players embody the two most important areas that lead to success in the NBA — toughness and high IQ — and they’ve led Charlotte (12-41) to consecutive wins for the second time all season.

“The attitude and energy — from the time we got here — has resulted in good basketball and back-to-back wins,” Curry said. “We got to continue to play the right way, continue to learn each other, learn the offense. The remainder of the season should be fun basketball. We won’t win every night, maybe, but we’ll compete. We’ll have fun and put on a good show. Everyone in that locker room is involved and approaching things the right way.”

After spending Sunday with his father, Dell, watching the Super Bowl, Curry was one of seven Hornets who scored in double-figures in a balanced offensive effort.

Curry, who scored 14 of his 18 points in the second half, made a pair of crucial 3-pointers that helped the Hornets pull away late. His pick-and-roll game got going on Monday, as well.

“He’s an experienced, veteran player,” Clifford said. “He’s a great competitor. On your team, you want guys that you don’t have worry if they’re going to try hard or not. You’re never going to have to worry about that. He’s a tough guy, and he wants to win.”

Miles Bridges, who put Pacers center Myles Turner on a poster with an emphatic fourth-quarter slam, paced the Hornets with a double-double on 20 points and 10 rebounds. Williams led the team with 21 points.

During the second quarter, Williams drove toward the basket and threw down a dunk of his own. He hung on to the rim — and his dangling legs seemed to inadvertently bump into Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton, who was held to 13 points.

The officials instantly called a technical foul, which was negated after review, on Williams. As the referees huddled at center court, Williams strolled around the court with a smile on his face, laughing with Indiana players. Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle called his team toward the bench area, and Williams briefly joined the visitors in their huddle.

There’s been a revitalized sense of energy from this Hornets team, which has won back-to-back games for the first time since Nov. 22.

“Just the energy, from the jump,” said Tre Mann, who scored 11 points. “As soon as we walked in on the first day of shootaround before the game, they were all here dapping us up, making us feel welcome. And then on the court, they’re really good guys and they try to help us through everything.”