Charlotte Hornets Report - Week of December 17th - 23rd
Credit: sportslogos.net
LAST 4 GAMES
- @ New York Knicks: W, 119-107
- vs. Detroit Pistons: W, 108-107
- vs. New York Knicks: L, 124-126 (OT)
- vs. Los Angeles Lakers: L, 100-128
The Hornets are sitting 1 game under .500 again and unless something drastic happens, it seems it is going to stay like this for the rest of the season. The first two games of the week’s stretch were wins, while the last two the squad took L’s. They had a good win against the Pistons, but lost another bad game against the Knicks in overtime. The story has been the same for the Hornets all season long, they absolutely cannot lose bad games like against the Knicks at Home. The game against the Lakers showed that Kemba Walker can’t really have a bad night for the Hornets to win. It’s a shame that the Hornets are in that situation, but it is the way it is. Jeremy Lamb was the most consistently solid Hornets player this week and it seems like that has been the case quite a bit lately. Charlotte is still leading the Southeast Division and are 1 game above the cutoff line. If they don’t figure something out by the end of the season, I can’t see this team being consistent enough to make the playoffs. Hopefully the next 3 games this week will better for Buzz City.
NEXT 3 GAMES
- vs. Cleveland Cavaliers: Wednesday, December 19th
- vs Detroit Pistons: Friday, December 21st
- @ Boston Celtics: Sunday, December 23rd
There is a good mix of games over the next 3. The Hornets will try to push themselves above .500 heading into Christmas and hopefully they will deliver this week. Kicking of their week of games should be an easy one. The Cleveland Cavaliers have the third worst record in the NBA and have only won 2 road games this year. The Hornets have played the Cavs twice already this season splitting the games between them. This season Cleveland has allowed the highest FG percentage in the NBA, so if the Hornets are shooting halfway decent they shouldn’t have any trouble with this game. The most intriguing player for the Cavs is Collin Sexton. The 19-year-old Rookie from Alabama has been a solid part of the Cavs offense this year averaging just over 15 PPG. These are the kinds of games that the Hornets absolutely can’t lose to be considered a playoff team.
This week brings another matchup against the Motor City’s Detroit Pistons. The Pistons are in about the same boat as the Hornets, but the games that they have lost this season have been against good teams. This is something to look for in their next matchup. They’re a team that doesn’t lose bad games and the Hornets need to play with caution on Friday. They have met with the Hornets twice this year and the Hornets have won both of the meetings. In the last meeting, Kemba Walker was the leading scorer in the game with 31 points and he also tacked on 8 rebounds and 9 assists. On the other end, Blake Griffin scored 26 and grabbed 10 boards, while dishing out 7 assists. Last week, if I recall, Detroit was the worst shooting team in the NBA. This week they’ve moved up to the 2nd worst. Forcing the Pistons to take bad shots will be vital for Charlotte to win the matchup again.
Sunday will bring another matchup against one of the best teams in the Eastern Conference. The Boston Celtics will be seeking revenge from the first matchup, they lost on the road 112-117. In their last meeting, Kemba Walker scored 43 points in the winning effort for Charlotte. The Celtics are the 6th best in the NBA in percentage from 3, but really just an eye test can tell you they are a great shooting team. The only thing that stood out from the last matchup between the two was, you guessed it, 3 pointers. The Hornets shot more 3’s and they shot them more efficiently. If they Hornets want to win again, it seems like this is the way to beat the Boston team. As the Boston roster stands, they are a lot better than their record shows at the moment. They are such as good team and if the Hornets can somehow pull off a win on the road against this team, they will put themselves in a great position going forward.
Yacs