The Charlotte Hornets (13-37), set to welcome former Duke basketball center Mark Williams back to the lineup following a trade gone awry with the Los Angeles Lakers, are now squarely in contention to win the Cooper Flagg sweepstakes due to their frequent losses this season.

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Another bright note, though, is Charlotte’s other Duke basketball product, Seth Curry, now in his first full season with his hometown Hornets after getting traded from the Dallas Mavericks last February.

Case in point, the 34-year-old sharpshooter answered his rare start with 26 points on Sunday.

Curry’s season-high scoring effort, which came in a 112-102 road loss to the Detroit Pistons (27-26), included four rebounds, two assists, one steal, one block, and zero turnovers across his team-high 36 minutes on the floor. He shot 10-for-17 from the field, 5-for-9 from three, and 1-for-1 at the foul line.

Through 43 appearances this season, Curry’s 12th under contract in the NBA despite going undrafted in 2013, the former two-time All-ACC selection in Durham is averaging 6.1 points and 1.8 boards in 14.3 minutes per outing.

And thanks to his latest sizzle from downtown, Curry is now shooting a career-high 47.2 percent beyond the arc.

Seth Curry and the Charlotte Hornets next face a road bout against the Brooklyn Nets (18-34), a fellow contender for Duke basketball freshman phenom Cooper Flagg in the 2025 NBA Draft, at 7:30 p.m. ET Monday.

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