Extended Road Trip Will Test the Charlotte Hornets Once Again
Coming off of a statement win over the Thunder, the Charlotte Hornets will look for consistency as they will be tested on their upcoming five-game road trip.
The Charlotte Hornets have a 20-16 record as they enter a crucial five-game road trip. They have yet to find consistency away from home as they are only 8-9 on the road so far this season. This road trip will give them a chance to not only grab some victories over great teams but also prove that they have what it takes to win on the road.
Their last extended road trip this year ended with the team going 1-4 over five consecutive games away from home. That trip was filled with a four-game losing streak, a weird missed game for Kemba Walker, and losses to Eastern Conference opponents. If Charlotte wants to be among the best in the East, they will need to defeat strong opposition on the road and they have yet to prove that they can do that.
They don’t have a lot of momentum heading into the road trip as the Hornets are only 2-6 in their last eight road games. A good showing away from home could go a long way for this team as they only have three wins (the Milwaukee Bucks, the Memphis Grizzlies, and the Atlanta Hawks) against current playoff teams on the road this season. Three of their opponents on the road trip are not only playoff contenders but championship contenders in the Houston Rockets and the San Antonio Spurs.
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Winning on the road is never easy in the NBA but it is necessary to be considered as a top team in the league. A couple wins against teams like Houston, San Antonio, and the Boston Celtics could help push the Hornets into the limelight. While they are a top-four team in the East, they still have their doubters but a win over some of the better teams could change that.
It will all be about playing up to their potential and not stumbling. Charlotte has some bad losses recently against the Brooklyn Nets and the Chicago Bulls without Dwyane Wade but they are also coming off of a win over Russell Westbrook and OKC which is a tough task. They need to play more like the team that beat the Thunder rather than the team that played down to their opposition and dropped games on the road against Brooklyn and Chicago.
Most of the team’s shortcomings and worst losses this season have come away from home. That trend needs to be broken and the Hornets have a chance to do just that during the road trip. This will be Charlotte’s second to last extended road trip as they have a seven game one in February.
They don’t get a lot of chances to travel out West or away from the East coast but when they do, Steve Clifford’s side needs to make the most of the opportunity. The Hornets will surely be tested against top level teams and even the Pistons and the Philadelphia 76ers will put up tough fights. The 1-4 road trip earlier in the year was disappointing but Charlotte can right some of their wrongs this time around.
After not stepping up in their last road trip, the Hornets has another test/shot in front of them to prove that they are not a mediocre team.
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The Charlotte Hornets have a chance to get back over .500 on the road during the trip. If some statement wins can go a long way in a positive direction, bad losses can be equally detrimental. The team must avoid having a losing record on this trip, losing to the 76ers, and losing ground in the playoff race.