Charlotte Hornets Look to Make a Statement in Houston Against the Rockets
The Charlotte Hornets look to get off the schneid as they hope to snap their three-game losing streak on the road against the Rockets.
The Charlotte Hornets (20-18) are set to take on the Houston Rockets (30-9) in the third game of their current five-game road trip. Charlotte’s coming off of a blowout loss to the San Antonio Spurs as their recent struggles on the road are starting to mount up. They have lost three consecutive games away from home and eight of their last 10 on the road.
On the other hand, the Rockets have become one of the NBA’s best teams this season and one of the most prolific offenses in the league under Mike D’Antoni. They have won eight straight games coming into this one and their great play has been led by MVP frontrunner James Harden. It would not only be a statement win for the Hornets but it would also be a pretty big upset if they could pull this one off considering the state of these two sides.
Charlotte hasn’t been great on the road, they are without two starts, and their current form isn’t up to par. This is a recipe for disaster for Steve Clifford’s side as they take on one of the most deadly squads in the NBA. It will likely take a perfect performance for this shorthanded Hornets’ team to be able to pull off the upset in this one.
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Charlotte Hornets @ Houston Rockets
8:00 p.m. EST, Tuesday, January 10th, 2016
Toyota Center
Broadcast on FOX Sports Southeast
Injury Report:
CHA:
Nicolas Batum (knee) – Doubtful
Cody Zeller (Illness) – OUT
HOU:
Clint Capela (Left Fibula Fracture) is out
Kyle Wiltjer is assigned to the D-League.
Biggest Story:
Defense vs Scoring
The fact of the matter is, Houston has a lethal offense and under Mike D’Antoni, Harden and the team are both flourishing. They are the second highest scoring team in the league at 114.6, they make the most three’s per game at 14.9, and they take the most with 39.8 per game. There is no doubt that they are offense first and it has worked in their favor so far.
They take and make three’s at a high rate but that could also be their biggest downfall. They live and die by the three, they have been living well so far this season but one bad shooting night could leave a big opportunity for Charlotte. The Hornets The Hornets have a top-10 perimeter defense as their opponents only make 35.2% of their three-point attempts.
Matchup to Watch:
Michael Kidd-Gilchrist vs James Harden
While this would’ve been a marquee matchup between Nic Batum and James Harden, Nicolas’ injury has forced him out of this one and MKG will have the task of defending one of the league’s best playmakers. Kidd-Gilchrist might have already been the main defender on Harden even if Nic would’ve played. Michael has been getting lit up as of late against top-level players so we’ll see if he can slow down the Rockets’ leading man this time around.
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Harden is not only a threat scoring the ball as he is the third-leading scorer in the league at 28.2 PPG, but he is also a great playmaker averaging a league-high 11.8 APG. His move to point guard (a more ball dominant guard) this season, has made him even better than the MVP level that he was already playing at last year. His only downfall and what MKG might be able to take advantage of is that he averages 5.8 turnovers per game which is the highest in the NBA.