The Charlotte Hornets are coming off a much-needed dismantling of the New York Knicks. Wednesday is the last in a four-game homestand. Can the Hornets make it two in a row?
For the 11th time this season, the Charlotte Hornets (11-19) are coming off a win. While many fans think it should be more, when a team is having a rough season, any victory is a big deal. At this point in the season, however, the Hornets will need to start digging themselves out of the hole in which they currently find themselves. Getting a win every few games isn’t going to help. They need to put together consecutive wins. What better time to start than Wednesday night against the Toronto Raptors (20-8).
The Hornets and Raptors have already played once this season, with the Raptors coming out with a 126-113 win. The Hornets were without their captain, Kemba Walker, meaning Michael Carter Williams was stuck with the task of guarding Kyle Lowry. Lowry went off for 36 points and made 8 threes. Hopefully, Kemba can do a better job of guarding him. Demar DeRozan going for 30 didn’t help either.
The Hornets are coming off a 109-91 win over the New York Knicks. They are 12th in the East. The Raptors are coming off a win of their own against the Sacremento Kings, with the final being 108-93. They are currently 3rd in the East.
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Charlotte Hornets vs Toronto Raptors
7:00 p.m. EST, Wednesday, December 20th, 2017
Spectrum Center
Broadcast on Fox Sports Southeast
Injury Report:
CHA:
Treveon Graham – Back (Questionable)
Cody Zeller – Knee (Out)
Steve Clifford
TOR:
Serge Ibaka – Knee (Questionable)
Lucas Nogueira – Calf (Out)
Things to keep an eye on:
The Raptors currently rank 4th in the league in terms of points per game at just under 111 a game. Charlotte ranks 16th in opponent’s points per game, allowing 105.7 a game. They’re also in the top ten in both opponent’s field goal percentage and three-point field goal percentage. If the Hornets can keep this game from getting away from them, they should have a shot. Letting Lowry and DeRozan go off again cannot happen.
Keys to the game:
Defense is going to be key here. The Hornets will need to bother DeRozan and Lowry, keeping them from slashing to the basket. The Raptors shot 53.1% from the field in their last meeting. The Hornets cannot allow that and expect to win. In their first matchup, Charlotte shot 35 free throws compared to Toronto’s 11. Look to see if the Hornets can do that again by attacking the basket and drawing fouls.
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There really isn’t any reason Charlotte cannot win this game, but they will need to be diligent and play with a sense of urgency. If they don’t want their season to slip away, now is pretty much the best time to start salvaging it. We’ll see if they can answer the call Wednesday night in the Spectrum Center.