There are only seven games left in the season, but the Charlotte Hornets still have a glimmer of playoff hope. With a rough stretch of games coming up, so the team will need to dig deep in order to fulfill their postseason dreams.
As of now, the Charlotte Hornets‘ (34-41) odds of making the playoffs sit at just 3.4% according to ESPN.com. That’s not exactly something the team, nor its fans would like to hear. Despite their abysmal odds, the team remains hopeful. Their remaining schedule isn’t exactly a cakewalk, however, as all seven teams they’ll face are in the playoff hunt.
Their next matchup is against the Denver Nuggets (35-39) on Friday night. Denver also clings to meager postseason aspirations, sitting at just14.5% to make playoffs. They’re sitting in a much better position than the Hornets, however, as they’re just a game back of 8th place Portland Trail Blazers in the West. The Hornets did defeat the Nuggets back on March 4th in Denver, so there is something positive the team can use.
Denver has lost their last two contests, with their latest defeat coming at the hands of the aforementioned Trailblazers, 113 -122. The Hornets are coming off a win at Toronto Raptors 110-106. In their last contest on March 4th, Charlotte defeated Denver at the Pepsi Center 122-102. Kemba Walker led the way for the Hornets with 27 points.
More from Swarm and Sting
- Hornets: Where does Brandon Miller’s ceiling rank among other rookies?
- Charlotte Hornets grade out mostly average in position-by-position ranking
- Hornets News: P.J. Washington makes bold statement on Brandon Miller
- Grade the mock trade: Hornets snag Tyler Herro, flip Gordon Hayward
- Will the Charlotte Hornets be in the 2024 NBA Draft Lottery?
Charlotte Hornets vs Denver Nuggets
7 p.m. EST, Friday, March 31st, 2017
Spectrum Center
Broadcast on FOX Sports Southeast
Injury Report:
CHA:
Johnny O’Bryant (Out) – Ankle Sprain
DEN:
Will Barton (Questionable) – Foot Soreness
Mason Plumlee – Questionable) – Abdominal Contusion
Things to watch for:
Nikola Jokic scored 31 points against Charlotte in their last game, making 13 of 15 field goals. (ESPN.com) He also snagged 14 rebounds. The Nuggets will look to feed him down low in order to generate a lot of scoring.
Keys to the game:
The Hornets shot just over 59% from deep against Denver the first game. Denver is 29th in the league in opponent 3pt field goal percentage, allowing teams to shoot 38% against them. (Teamrankings.com) Charlotte should look to take advantage of that if they want to win.
Next: Johnny O'Bryant Out for the Season?
The Hornets have a tough slate of games coming up, but sweeping the Nuggets would certainly help the team’s slim postseason chances.