Charlotte Hornets Report: Week of March 16th - 22nd
Credit: Charlotte Hornets
LAST 3 GAMES
- @ Milwaukee Bucks: L, 114-131
- @ Houston Rockets: L, 106-118
- @ Washington Wizards: W, 116-110
With just 14 games left in the regular season, the Hornets have a one game deficit between them and the 8th place spot in the Eastern Conference. The Hornets lost 2 of the last 3 in last week’s slate of games. It was a tough stretch, but I think they can look past it with a strong showing in their next slate of games this week. They had three tough road games and their best player showed up in all of them. Kemba Walker averaged 31 PPG in his last three games, containing a 40-point game against the Houston Rockets. No other player really had any performances out of the ordinary. Walking away with at least two wins would’ve been ideal last week, but the fact that they are still only a game out is a positive sign for them for the rest of the season. In the next three games, the Hornets are playing two games at home and they should make the most of them, because they have a great deal of road games on the rest of their schedule.
NEXT 3 GAMES
- @ Miami Heat (32-36): Sunday March 17th at 1pm
- vs. Philadelphia 76ers (44-25): Tuesday, March 19th at 7pm
- vs. Minnesota Timberwolves (32-37): Thursday, March 21st at 7pm
The first game of the slate is against one of the teams they’re fighting with for the last playoff spot. The Miami Heat are just one game ahead of the Hornets and will look to maintain their 8th seed in the Eastern Conference. The Hornets absolutely need to come out firing in this contest. Every game matters at this point, but if you can close the gap between the teams ahead of you it is always a must-win situation. In their last 10 games, the Heat are playing .500 basketball, while the Hornets are playing only .300 basketball. At the moment, the Heat have no injuries to speak of, while the Hornets did not play Cody Zeller last night against the Wizards and he may miss this contest as well. This will be the last meeting between the rivals this season. The Hornets hold a 2-1 series lead, so look for them to try to get the upper hand in this contest. Charlotte hasn’t been playing great basketball as of late, but look for them to be in tip-top form on Sunday, if they aren’t, it could deal a huge blow to the rest of their season.
The next game will be against the 3rd seed Sixers. They are one of the favorites to make it out of the East and are starting to gear up for their anticipated Playoff run. It is no secret that the 76ers are a good team, they are 2nd in the East in Scoring and will look to show off that high-powered offense on Tuesday night. It would be a huge win if the Hornets could walk away with this one at home. It does help that they are at home, but the Sixers are a good team and it will not be an easy road. Philadelphia is a team that moves the ball at a good rate, so the Hornets key to victory will be to slow the pace and cut off passing lanes in this one.
The last game of the week will be against the struggling Minnesota Timberwolves. They are nearly in the same situation as the Hornets, but the Western Conference is obviously a tougher conference. It appeared that the Timberwolves were doomed from the start with their mounting team drama prior to the start of the season. At the moment, they are one game ahead of the Lakers, which is something that I didn’t expect to see at this point in the season. This game is at home for the Hornets and it is another must-win situation. Charlotte absolutely cannot let these games slip through the cracks. For a chance at the Playoffs, it is a given that they should beat opponents with a losing record, at home. A realistic goal this week is for the Charlotte team to walk away from this slate of games with two wins. Look for the Hornets to start gearing up, because if they don’t do it now, I’m afraid they could miss out on the Playoffs.
Yacs