CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Kon Knueppel and LaMelo Ball have something in common with the Splash Brothers.The backcourt duo of the Hornets are the first teammates to finish 1-2 in the NBA in 3-pointers since Golden State guards Steph Curry and Klay Thompson. Now they’re hoping to help Charlotte snap a 10-year playoff drought, the longest in league history. After shattering the NBA rookie record for 3s in a season, Knueppel went on to lead the league with 273 while shooting 42.5% from beyond the arc.Ball was right behind with 272 made on 36.8% shooting.“I think it’s pretty cool — they must have a great coach that allows them to shoot that many 3s,” quipped Charlotte coach Charles Lee.All kidding aside, the Hornets finally seem to have found an identity on offense under Lee and seem headed in the right direction after nearly a decade of floundering near the bottom of the Eastern Conference.You can bet the 3s will be flying Tuesday night when the Hornets host the Miami Heat in the 9 vs. 10 NBA play-in tournament game — the first postseason home game for Charlotte in a decade.To reach an actual playoff series for the first time since 2015-16, the Hornets will need to beat the Heat and then defeat the loser of the 7-8 matchup between Philadelphia and Orlando.Knueppel has been the shot in the arm the Hornets franchise needed.He was named Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month four times and leads all first-year players with 36 20-point games. He passed six-time NBA champion Michael Jordan for the NBA rookie record for most games with 20-plus points on 65% true shooting with 2 …
