Clifford rips Hornets: 'We pick and choose' when to defend, rebound

The Charlotte Hornets haven't been playing with the same edge they had at the beginning of the season.

Head coach Steve Clifford attributed his team's recent four-game skid to inconsistency both on the defensive end and on the glass.

"We pick and choose when we want to play defense. We pick and choose when we try to rebound," Clifford said before Saturday's rematch with the New York Knicks, as quoted by Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer.

After getting off to a franchise best 6-1 start, the Hornets have cooled considerably. They lost four straight last week by an average of 6.8 points, and were outrebounded by nine in Friday's overtime loss in the Big Apple. They also ranked among the bottom of the league in steals and free-throw percentage during that stretch.

The club bounced back in the second night of a home-and-home series versus the Knicks with a 107-102 victory at The Hive. Although the result differed, accuracy at the charity stripe was still an issue as Charlotte missed 13 of 42 attempts (69 percent).

"Free throws are killing us," Clifford told reporters postgame.

Despite being the fifth-best team at getting to the line, his men are in the bottom five in converting free throws.

The 9-7 Hornets will look to improve upon that and maintain their edge Monday in Memphis.