The Charlotte Hornets have been somewhat of an enigma this season. They win games they shouldn’t and lose games they shouldn’t. This may be cause for concern with the lowly Atlanta Hawks next on the schedule.
If there’s one thing you can say about the Charlotte Hornets (19-27), it’s that they constantly find ways to surprise you. Unfortunately, those surprises usually aren’t good. For instance, this team cannot win close games. They’re the only team in the NBA to not have a win in games decided by 3 points or less. Then again, maybe it’s not surprising since it keeps happening. In any case, it’s best to try to remain positive.
With that being said, the Atlanta Hawks (14-33) roll into town Friday night. These two teams have already played once this season, way back in October. The Hornets trounced the Hawks, 109-91. Kemba Walker led the way with 26 points and Dwight Howard pulled in 15 rebounds.
The Hornets’ last game was a 96-101 loss to the New Orleans Pelicans. They currently reside at the 11th spot in the East. The Hawks are coming off a loss as well, losing at home to the Toronto Raptors, 93-108.
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Charlotte Hornets vs Atlanta Hawks
7:00 p.m. EST, Friday, January 26th, 2018
Spectrum Center
Broadcast on Fox Sports Southeast
Injury Report:
CHA:
Cody Zeller – Knee (Out)
ATL:
DeAndre’ Bembry – Groin (Out)
Things to keep an eye on:
In games against Dwight’s former teams, the Hornets are 4-3. He’s averaging just over 19 points and 12.7 rebounds in those games. It’s safe to assume he enjoys playing against his former teams. Let’s hope he can keep that up tonight. He should be able to dominate on the boards since the Hawks rank 25th in the league in rebounds per game. We may see another 20 and 20 night.
Keys to the game:
The Hawks are ranked 8th in the league in three-point shooting percentage. In fact, they have six players who shoot over 37% from behind the arc. Perimeter defense should be a focus in this game. Charlotte was fortunate in their last game, holding the Hawks to only 7-30 shooting from deep, but as we all know, the Hornets are nothing short of inconsistent. Keeping Dennis Schroder from penetrating the lane will be a necessity as well. A lot of his damage comes from slashing to the basket and scoring or drawing in defenders and dishing out to open men behind the perimeter.
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On paper, this one should be an easy win, but this Hornets team is very unpredictable. As I always say, I believe this team can beat any team on any given night. They’re going to have start being more consistent, however, if they want to make a run towards the playoffs. Hopefully the Hornets team we all know they can be shows up Friday night in the Queen City.