Charlotte Hornets hit the road to battle the San Antonio Spurs

The Charlotte Hornets travel to San Antonio to battle the Spurs in what should be a game between two playoff-bound teams.

The Charlotte Hornets (5-3) kick off a four-game road trip on the road Friday night against the San Antonio Spurs (4-4). Charlotte is on a three-game win streak, coming off a hard-fought game against the Milwaukee Bucks. On the other side of the coin, San Antonio is four-game game skid, their last win coming against the Miami Heat on October 25th.

Charlotte is slowly but surely beginning to heal from the injuries that plagued them early in the season. Michael Kidd-Gilchrist is not with the team after coming down with an illness that held him out of all but seven minutes Wednesday night. Cody Zeller has returned from his knee bruise, and Michael Carter-Williams has been upgraded from out to questionable. Julyan Stone and Nicolas Batum are still out, although Batum could be practicing in as early as 10 days time.

For San Antonio, they will still be without starters Kahwi Leonard and Tony Parker, who are both missing due to quad injuries. Additionally, Joffrey Lauvergne will be out with an ankle sprain that was more severe than first thought.

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?

Keys to the Game

• Kemba Walker: As always, Kemba Walker will be essential for the Charlotte offense. However, he may be more important than normal due to injuries. Patty Mills is a fine point guard, however, Kemba should have no issues scoring him. The Spurs also lack a true rim protector. With LaMarcus Aldridge and Pau Gasol being limited vertically, Kemba should have a good time at the rim. Look for Pop to switch superb defender Danny Green onto Walker.
• LaMarcus Aldridge: LMA leads San Antonio in scoring, with 24 ppg. It’s been relatively inefficient though. Aldridge is posting it on an average 53 TS% and has a middling PER at 17.1. If he puts up his numbers, it’s no problem, as long as Marvin Williams helps ensure it’s on relatively low efficiency.
• Rebounding: Both Charlotte and San Antonio are top 5 in rebounds per game so far this season. Furthermore, the Spurs hit the glass hard, leading the league in ORB%. If Dwight Howard can continue his dominance down low and keep San Antonio’s second chances at a minimum, Charlotte’s odds for a win go up.
• Free Throws: Buzz City has been excellent at getting to the line this year, ranking second in the league in FTr. Kemba Walker specifically has been astounding, leading the league in FTM per game, alongside Damian Lillard and DeMarcus Cousins. On the other side, San Antonio only commits 15.5 fouls per game, good for second best in the league. Charlotte’s chances may be dependent on how many whistles they get.

Friday, Nov. 3, 2017 • 8:30 PM ET

AT&T Center • San Antonio, TX

Local: FSSE-CHA, FSSW-SA

Radio: 610 AM The Fan, WOAI 1200AM

This game should be a good measuring stick for the season. They are reeling, with four straight losses, and Charlotte is hot. This is a team that was projected to win 52 games in the preseason, so a win over them would be a huge confidence booster.

Next: Storylines to pay attention to this season

If the Hornets rebound well, get to the stripe, and prevent Aldridge from putting up meaningful numbers, they have a great chance at taking out one of the Western Conference’s elite teams.