Charlotte Hornets

LAST 2 GAMES

- vs. Golden State Warriors: W, 102-100

- @ Utah Jazz: L, 110-132

It was a short 2-game week for Charlotte last week and they ended up splitting the games. The game against the Warriors came down to the wire and Terry Rozier ended up making the big shot in the end. Stephen Curry was a late scratch and that was definitely the deciding factor, but I can’t complain, the Hornets played a good game on Saturday night.

On Monday, the Hornets met the Jazz in Utah and I knew heading into the game that it wasn’t going to be an easy matchup. Nevertheless, it would’ve been a shot for Charlotte to get back to a .500 record. That didn’t happen on Monday night and they lost pretty handily to the NBA’s best team. The Hornets really didn’t have a bad game, the Jazz are just that good. The biggest takeaway from Monday’s matchup was long-range shots. The Jazz were way more efficient from three and that was the deciding factor. The Jazz bench players made 19 3-pt shots, 8 more the Hornets team made. A staggering stat to say the least, but this just proves how tough Utah is.

There isn’t a lot more to say about last week’s action, but that has been sort of a theme with Charlotte this year. The Hornets will likely remain a fringe playoff contender after the All-Star break in a couple weeks, but they’re far from serious contenders. They started their west coast swing on Monday night and will be on the road for the next 5 games. The matchups will be tough, but if the Hornets can gain a little momentum with a winning record by the end of next week, that will be the best-case scenario for them.

Week 9 MVP: Terry Rozier

This was a tough week to pick an MVP because it felt like most of the players played well in one game, but not the other. I went with Terry Rozier again mainly because of his performance against the Warriors. He had 36 points against them and as I mentioned earlier, he hit the game-winning shot to seal the deal in Charlotte on Saturday night. His game against the Jazz wasn’t great, but he contributed 12 points and was 5-7 on shots inside the three-point line. The Hornets are definitely going to need him on this road stretch if Devonte’ Graham and/or Gordon Hayward misses an extended amount of time.

NEXT 4 GAMES

- @ Phoenix Suns (20-10): Wednesday, February 24th at 9pm

- @ Golden State Warriors (16-15): Friday, February 26th at 10pm

- @ Sacramento Kings (12-18): Sunday, February 28th at 10pm

- @ Portland Trailblazers (18-12): Monday, March 1st at 10:30pm

Tonight, the Hornets will play the 4-seed in the West. The Suns are a much-improved team from last year and this will be a tough matchup for Charlotte. Phoenix is led by their star guards Devin Booker and Chris Paul. They have a great defense and have the 4th best scoring defense in the NBA. They do a lot of things well and it will be a bad matchup for Charlotte. Deandre Ayton is one of the best rebounders in the league and they play good team basketball. Former Hornets big man Frank Kaminsky has been getting some decent minutes with Phoenix as well. He has also started in his last 9 games and has shot 51.7% from three in that span. This week could go a number of ways for the Hornets, but if they get a big win against a team of this caliber tonight, it would give them a lot of momentum from the rest of the road stretch.

Next, we’re going to see some familiar faces. The Hornets will face the Warriors on Friday night, just 6 days separating their previous matchup. Obviously, the Hornets won last Saturday, but will this matchup be different? We’ll see, but I would expect to see Stephen Curry back in action for this contest. The Warriors are clearly a different team with or without him and they’re a mid-level to bad lottery team without him. With him, they’re a tough team, but they’re still not the team that they used to be. Expect another close matchup in this one, but it definitely will not be an easy game for Charlotte.

The Kings are up next for Charlotte and this has to be a win for Charlotte. If they don’t win here, it probably isn’t going to be pretty for the Hornets after the All-Star break. The Kings are a struggling team, they have lost 7 straight games as of Tuesday night. It feels like the Kings should be better than they actually are but find themselves yet again towards the bottom of the West. They’re led by De’Aaron Fox and Point Guard and he’s having a solid year, but Buddy Hield has taken a step back this year. He’s averaging 15.9 PPG, down about 5 PPG from the last two years, and his shooting percentages are the worst of his career. The Kings have some familiar faces from NC colleges though. They have 2 former Blue Devils, Jabari Parker and Marvin Bagley. Former Tar Heel, Harrison Barnes and former Virginia Cavalier, Kyle Guy. This should be a win for Charlotte, but we’ll see how it plays out on Sunday night.

I can’t believe we’re this close to March already in 2021, but the Hornets will face Portland in their first matchup of the new month. The Blazers are the 5-seed in the West and have the best backcourt in the NBA. You could argue that the Nets or Suns are in the discussion, but I’d take the Blazers personally. They have an all-around good team though and I feel like they’re only one small piece away from being title contenders. Future HOFer, Carmelo Anthony comes off of the bench in most games, but is still giving the team some decent minutes. If I had to guess, this will likely be his last season and it has been a great 18-year career for Melo, if it is his last. Lillard and McCollum are their top 2 scorers by a decent margin, but their 3rd highest scorer is former Duke guard, Gary Trent Jr. He was 2nd round pick for the team in 2018 and has spent the last 3 seasons with the Blazers. It is surprising to see him doing so well, because I thought he was going to be in and out of the league, but he has found a regular role with a very good team. Good for him. Along with Trent, the Blazers have two more former Duke players in Harry Giles III and Rodney Hood. They also have a former Tar Heel, Nassir Little. They have a solid team, and this will, yet again, be another tough road game for Charlotte. You could call it The Battle of the Melos.

Yacs

Charlotte Hornets Report: Week 10 of 2020-21