Charlotte Hornets Report: Week 17 of 2020-21
Charlotte Hornets
LAST 4 GAMES
- @ Oklahoma City Thunder: W, 113-102
- @ Milwaukee Bucks: W, 127-119
- vs. Atlanta Hawks: L, 101-105
- vs. Los Angeles Lakers: L, 93-101
The Hornets split the 4 games in last week’s action and I felt like they should’ve won all of the games to be honest. They started the week off with two wins, but the last two ended up as losses. The Hawks was a close game for most of the game, but the Hornets just couldn’t close things out in the end. The Lakers didn’t have their superstars playing and it honestly is sad that they couldn’t get things done at home against them. Charlotte is now the 7 seed in the East and to be honest, another bad week could land them outside of playoff contention. That just tells you how close things are in the Eastern Conference. Even though there are play-in games and 20 teams make the playoffs, being in a play-in game isn’t an ideal situation.
The Hornets are getting good minutes from some newer faces and they really have no other options with all of the injury accumulation. Brad Wanamaker led the Hornets in assists in 2 games last week and Jalen McDaniels led the Hornets in scoring against OKC. PJ Washington was added to the injury list with an ankle sprain and Terry Rozier has been dealing with some nagging injuries as well. Hopefully all of the injured Hornets heal up in time just before the playoffs.
The Thunder game was the easiest game of the week and we knew that going into the action last week, but I was surprised to see Charlotte take down the Bucks. The Bucks were without Giannis Antetokounmpo, but they’re still a good team without him. I knew the Hawks game was going to be a toss-up, but they’re playing well, and they have a relatively healthy squad, so the Hornets dropping that game wasn’t a huge shock. The Lakers game, however, was just a sloppy game all-around. The deciding factor was long-range shooting and the Lakers were the better team in that specific category. The upcoming week isn’t going to get any easier, but there are some matchups that they can definitely win.
Week 16 MVP: Miles Bridges
AP
I know it is surprising me a little too. Miles Bridges is your Week 16 MVP and he is a back-to-back Hornets MVP. Bridges led the team in scoring in two of the four games in last week’s action and was a key part in the two wins they secured. He shot 56% in the last 4 games and scored 19.5 PPG in the last 4, not to mention the fact that he put Clint Capela on a poster this week. It has been a great couple of weeks for the former Michigan State Spartan and hopefully he carries this momentum for the rest of the year.
NEXT 4 GAMES
- vs. Cleveland Cavaliers (19-34): Wednesday, April 14th at 7pm
- @ Brooklyn Nets (37-17): Friday, April 16th at 7:30pm
- vs. Portland Trailblazers (31-23): Sunday, April 18th at 7pm
- @ New York Knicks (28-27): Tuesday, April 20th at 7:30pm
As you’re reading this, the Cavs are in town to play the Hornets and they’re still in playoff contention, but on the outside looking in. The Cavs are the 13 seed in the East, but only 3 games out of the Top 10. With that being said though, this should be an easy win for Charlotte. The Cavs will be without Collin Sexton, who happens to be their leading scorer, so they will have to lean heavily on the services of Darius Garland. Kevin Love will also be in the lineup for the Cavs, he has missed a good chunk of time this season, so he’s always good for about 18 points and double-digit boards. I don’t see this as a threat for Charlotte, but they shouldn’t take them lightly. There is some good news though. Terry Rozier will play tonight.
Next are the Nets on Friday night and they will travel to Brooklyn. The Nets have gone 15-4 since the beginning of March and they will be a very tough matchup for Charlotte. They have had some injury issue lately and it looks like it will be the case going into Friday night. The Nets and the Hornets played each other twice already this year and the Hornets lost just two weeks ago to them by a 22-point deficit. If Durant, Harden, Aldridge and Griffin are all out, then the Hornets have a good chance to pick up a cheap win, but it that isn’t the case, it will be tough sledding for Charlotte.
The Hornets will head back home for one game against Portland and it will prove to be another tough matchup. They met already once this year on March 1st and it was a loss for Charlotte. The Blazers are a very good Western Conference team, but it is a winnable game. Damian Lillard is 4th on the NBA scoring list and they have a really solid team. Enes Kanter grabbed 30 rebounds on Saturday night and will be looking to carry that momentum on Sunday. This will be a tough game for Charlotte, but I think they can grab a win here against a good Western Conference team.
The Knicks will be the final matchup of the week for Charlotte and they have been surprisingly good this season. On paper, they don’t look that impressive, but they have really played well as a unit. They’re currently tied with Charlotte, but they’re currently a healthier team that Charlotte. It has been the Julius Randle show in New York this season and He leads the team in the three major statistical categories. These two teams have only met once this season and the Hornets won the January 11th matchup. This is definitely a game that the Hornets can win, but the Knicks are in playoff contention just like Charlotte, so don’t look for them to back down.
Yacs