Charlotte Hornets Report - Week of January 5th - 11th
Credit: sportslogos.net
LAST 3 GAMES
- @ Washington Wizards: L, 126-130
- vs. Orlando Magic: W, 125-100
- vs. Dallas Mavericks: L, 84-122
Another week in the books for the Charlotte Hornets and another disappointment for the squad. They dropped two of their last three games at a time in which they desperately need wins against lower-level opponents. In the loss to the Wizards, they simply were outplayed. Kemba Walker dropped 47 for the night, but it just wasn’t enough. Like I said in last week’s article, the Wizards are playing very bad this year, but they can turn it on when they choose to. This was one of those cases. They were solid against the Magic and they looked like a finely tuned unit, as they should look against a 17-21 team. The loss against the Mavericks at home, by that deficit was just inexcusable. Those kinds of games are very crucial and the Hornets seemed to not even show up. The Hornets shot just above 35% in the contest, which is simply just a bad night. On any given night, if a team shoots that poorly, they deserve to lose. The upcoming slate of games are all on the road and I have mentioned before, the Hornets are not so good in away games, 4-11 on the year. This will be the ultimate test against a beaten-up Hornets team and will indicate if they are a possible playoff-contending team.
NEXT 4 GAMES
- @ Denver Nuggets (25-11): Saturday, January 5th at 5pm
- @ Phoenix Suns (9-31): Sunday, January 6th at 8pm
- @ Los Angeles Clippers (22-16): Tuesday, January 8th at 10:30pm
- @ Portland Trailblazers (22-17): Friday, January 11th at 10pm
The Hornets are heading out West for the next week and a half, and to say that this will be a tough test for Charlotte is an under-statement. First up on the 4-game stretch is the Denver Nuggets, who by the way, is leading the Western Conference. The two teams squared off in Charlotte in early December and the Hornets took that game, 113-107. It was a poorly played game from both teams, but this time will be different. SG Gary Harris is back for the Nuggets and will be another problem for the Hornets to solve. It will be a very difficult game to win for Charlotte, the Nuggets have only lost three games at home this season. The only way to really beat this team is to play good basketball for 48 minutes and capitalize on mistakes. The Nuggets are 3rd in the NBA in points allowed and they will make sure that Hornets will stay below 100 points on the road tonight.
Next up is the Phoenix Suns. The Suns are the worst team in the Western Conference and the 2ndworst in the whole NBA. If the Hornets should win a game on this road stretch, it absolutely should be this one. Overall, the Suns are just not good. They are in the bottom quadrant of basically every statistical category as a team. They have dropped seven of their last eight games, and they are 5-16 at home on the season. Despite being at the bottom of nearly every category, the Suns have some bright spots in their squad. Particularly two up-and-coming stars in Devin Booker and Deandre Ayton. Booker is in his 4th season and is already averaging 25 PPG and Ayton is playing like a grown man at the age of 20, averaging 16.7 points and 10.8 rebounds per game. The Suns are a very young team and one that is full of potential, however, this is a game that the Hornets need to make sure to win in the upcoming road stretch. This season, the Hornets are 2-3 on zero days rest, but this is one that they shouldn’t mess up.
The Clippers are next and this one is a game that will be another tough test for Charlotte. The Clippers are currently sitting at 5th in the West and are one of the best offenses in the league. Obviously, defense will be crucial for the Hornets in this one. I feel like this has been said far too often, but on paper, the Clippers do not look like a great team. As a unit, they are one of the best and a great deal of credit has to go to Head Coach Doc Rivers. They have the right mix of scorers and defensive specialists and it is just working right now. To be in the spot that they are in the West is a huge accomplishment and the Hornets will have a difficult time getting past them in this one. For the Hornets to win this game, they will just have to prevail in a shootout. The Clippers opponents this season are 3rd least in the NBA in turnovers, which tells me that they’re nonchalant on defense. This seems obvious to say, but the Hornets will have to outscore them in key stretches.
The last game of the upcoming slate is the Portland Trailblazers. It feels like a broken record, but this again will be another tough test for Charlotte. The Blazers are 7th in the West and are virtually in the same boat as the Clippers. They’re a high-powered offense with a defense that is just good enough to wreak havoc. The two-headed monster of Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum are going to be a headache to stop in this contest. McCollum is having an off-year from three. He usually hovers around 40%, but is only shooting 32.9% from long-range this season. Lillard continues to be one of the most under-appreciated guards in the NBA and has been consistent for Portland this season. These two players will certainly be vital to the game, but I’m expecting another player to be the star in this contest. Jusuf Nurkić is a very talented Bosnian big man with big game potential. With Cody Zeller out for at least the next month, look for the Blazers to take advantage of that situation. Nurkić is having a career year and is currently in his 6th NBA season. I remember when he was traded from Denver, the Nuggets had both Jokić and Nurkić. It would’ve been interesting to see their careers play out in Denver, but in my opinion, both teams made the right choices. Charlotte’s big men will have to show up next Friday in Portland if the Hornets want to have a shot. Bismack Biyombo, Frank Kaminsky, and Willy Hernangomez will all receive an increase in minutes and they all need to be efficient for Charlotte to be successful against a good Portland team.
Yacs