Charlotte Hornets Report - Week of January 12th - 18th

Credit: Charlotte Hornets

LAST 4 GAMES

-      @ Denver Nuggets: L, 110-123

-      @ Phoenix Suns: W, 119-113

-      @ Los Angeles Clippers: L, 109-128

-      @ Portland Trailblazers: L, 96-127

Alright guys, we are back with another week of Charlotte Hornets basketball, but looking back on the week was somewhat of a painful experience. The Hornets dropped 3 of their last 4 on the road against Western Conferences foes. I mentioned in last week’s Hornets Report that they would have a tough time on this West Coast road trip, and they have thus far. The only game they won was against the Western Conference bottom feeders, the Phoenix Suns, and honestly that game was a nail bitter. I know Cody Zeller had a huge impact on the team that stats do not show, but the showing that the Hornets have had as of late is inexcusable. Although they have dropped so many games lately, Charlotte is somehow still the 8 seed in the Eastern Conference. We knew going into the season that the level of competition between the East and the West were going to nearly opposite of each other, but this is the proof in the pudding. If the Hornets were in the Western Conference, they would be tied for the 15thseed. I say this nearly every week, but Kemba needs help, frontcourt help in particular. As evidence of last week, the Hornets didn’t just get outplayed, it’s obvious that they are nowhere near the caliber of the decent Western Conference teams. Hopefully this week, the Hornets can turn things back around and solidify their spot in the East, but there are still two more road games to look out for coming up. 

NEXT 3 GAMES

-      @ Sacramento Kings (21-21): Saturday, January 12th at 10 pm

-      @ San Antonio Spurs (25-18): Monday, January 14th at 8:30 pm

-      vs. Sacramento Kings (21-21): Thursday, January 19th at 7:00 pm

This week’s report will be short and sweet. The Hornets play in 3 games in the upcoming week, but only against two opponents. Charlotte will meet up with the Kings (twice) and the Spurs this week and again, this will not be an easy way out for the Hornets. The first and third games of the week are against the Kings and they’re one of those teams that doesn’t look that great on paper, but they certainly are a solid team. De’Aaron Fox has emerged as the leader of this young Kings squad, but he isn’t going at it alone. Buddy Hield is the leading scorer on the squad, averaging 20.1 PPG. Sacramento has loaded up on young talent over the last few years and the gears are starting to turn for this young team. They all do their fair share, and it makes for interesting basketball. The one thing that stands out to me about this Kings team, in favor of the Hornets in their matchup, is that there aren’t really any defensive threats. They are tied for 3rdWorst in the NBA in points allowed per game, however, they are the 5thbest in the NBA in scoring offense. Slowing their offense down will be an enormous key to victory, and another key would be to force bad shots from the three-point line. The Kings are a very smart offensive team, they’re 2nd in the NBA in 3P% and 9th in FG%. Forcing them to play at a slower pace looks like a smart thing for the Hornets to do in this contest. After the first game against this squad, Charlotte should have a good idea of how they play and should capitalize on that knowledge in their next meeting on Thursday night. 

The next team on this week’s slate is against the San Antonio Spurs on the road. The Spurs are historically one of the best home teams ever and this contest will not be any different. This will also be a reunion for Hornets Head Coach, James Borrego. This Spurs team certainly looks different, but in all reality, they do not play that much different from the classic Spurs teams. Efficiency and defense are the building blocks to success in basketball and the Spurs’ led coach Gregg Popovich, has mastered that in his many years of coaching. It also looks like the trade with the Raptors in the offseason has paid off beautifully for both teams. DeMar DeRozan and LaMarcus Aldridge are the leaders of the squad and what they do on the court is working for the Spurs. DeRozan isn’t having his best scoring year, but as far as other stats go, he is having the best season of his career. He is currently averaging 22.2 PPG, 6.2 RPG and 6.5 APG. LaMarcus Aldridge scored a career high 56 points Thursday night against the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2OT. As we are seeing the career of Pau Gasol fading, Aldridge has stepped up over the last couple of years. Earlier I said that the Kings are the 2nd most efficient offense from the three-point line, well the Spurs are number one in that regard. Most of their offense, however, does not revolve around long-range shots. They take the least amount of threes in the NBA, but they make the most of their opportunities. The Spurs are a very smart veteran team and they absolutely do not take dumb shots. For the Hornets to have a shot in this one, they will have to match the Spurs intelligence on the court. Being the smarter team on Monday will be the key to success and hopefully the Hornets will prevail. 

Yacs

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