The Charlotte Hornets are flying high late in the season. Things seem to be looking up for the team as they’ve won three in a row. They’ll have to keep playing their best if they want to win a tough road game against the Wizards.
It’s been a bit of a rough season for the Charlotte Hornets (36-41), but they seem to be picking up some well-needed momentum as of late. Combine that with the recent struggles of the Miami Heat and Indiana Pacers (the two teams in front of Charlotte vying for the eighth playoff spot), and the Hornets are buzzing.
As of right now, ESPN has the Hornets with a 20.7% chance of making the playoffs. That might not sound great, but just four days ago, the Hornets had a 3.4% chance of making the playoffs. Quite an improvement, but there’s still work to be done with five games left in the season. They have a good opportunity to keep their success going against a Washington Wizards (46-31) squad that has lost their last three.
The Hornets travel to the Verizon Center on Tuesday night. Charlotte is 1-2 overall against the Wizards this year. They did win their last game against the Wizards, however, 98-93 at home in the Spectrum Center. Cody Zeller was the high scorer for the Hornets with 19. John Wall led the way for the Wizards with 19 points.
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Charlotte Hornets @ Washington Wizards
7 p.m. EST, Tuesday, April 4th, 2017
Verizon Center
Broadcast on FOX Sports Southeast
Injury Report:
CHA:
Johnny O’Bryant (Out) – Ankle Sprain
WAS: None
None
Things to keep an eye on:
Washington has a very proficient offense. They rank 5th overall in points per game at just over 109 per contest. They’re also tied for 3rd overall in field goal percentage, making 47.4% of their shots. The dynamic duo of John Wall and Bradley Beal combine for over 46 points per game. Wall also is second in the NBA in assists per game at 10.7. Needless to say, the Wizards can score. In both of their wins against Charlotte, the Wizards scored 109 points.
Keys to the game:
In their last game, Charlotte held Washington to just 37% shooting as a team. Part of their success came in limiting John Wall, who shot only 31% from the field. 8 of his 19 points came from the free-throw line. So, in short, the Hornets need to continue to play physical with Washington and make sure to limit Wall (and Beal) if they can.
Next: Playoff Push Could Cost Hornets in June
It won’t be an easy game as Washington has one of the best home records in the league (29-10), but this Charlotte team has had some impressive road wins, most notably in their last game against the Oklahoma City Thunder. Can the Hornets cast some magic of their own, or will they fall prey to the Wizards’ spell?