It’s just about do-or-die time for the Charlotte Hornets. A playoff berth is still within sight, but they need to make a push now. Is defeating a potent Indiana Pacers team a part of that?
Well, it’s February. This is just about the time of year where we see who’s legitimate and who’s not. So far, it’s looked like the Charlotte Hornets (21-29) aren’t legit. Yet, they’re still only four games out of the 8th spot in the East. I know some fans would rather they tank, but I’m of the sort that thinks this team could make a run and maybe see some success. Of course, a lot of things have to go their way, but why not? With a favorable schedule and a few key moves in the front office, this team could be poised to actually do something come April.
Still, it’s best to concentrate on the present and that means the Indiana Pacers (29-23). The same Indiana Pacers that defeated the Hornets just a few short days ago. The Hornets had their chances but ultimately couldn’t close it out. Sound familiar? With just under eight minutes to go, the score was 86-88. Charlotte was in it, but Indiana went on a 15-3 run and it was pretty much sealed by that point.
Charlotte is coming off a 123-110 throttling of the Atlanta Hawks. They are 11th in the East. Indiana is coming off a 105-101 win over the Memphis Grizzlies. they are 6th in the East
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Charlotte Hornets vs Indiana Pacers
7:00 p.m. EST, Friday, February 2nd, 2018
Spectrum Center
Broadcast on Fox Sports Southeast
Injury Report:
CHA:
Cody Zeller – Knee (probably)
Marvin Williams – Ankle (Out)
Frank Kaminsky (Thumb) game-time decision)
IND:
Glenn Robinson III – Ankle (Out)
Myles Turner – Knee (game-time decision)
Things to keep an eye on:
Kemba Walker has averaged 30 points in the last four games. Charlotte is 2-2 in those games. It’ll be interesting to see if he will continue to be the main source of offense. Someone else will surely have to step up if the team wants to beat the Pacers. This may be Cody Zeller’s first game back since injuring his knee back in mid-December. With Marvin Williams on the mend, the Hornets will look to him for added scoring in the post.
Keys to the game:
In their last game, the Pacers shot 54.5% from the field. In fact, the Pacers are 3rd in the NBA in terms of field goal percentage. Minimizing open looks and shutting down All-Star Victor Oladipo will be a must. Indiana is also 6th in the league in three-point field goal percentage. Despite that, they only shot 28.6% from three in their last matchup with the Hornets. Charlotte will need to replicate that in order to have success. If Myles Turner does play, they cannot let him go 4-6 from three, as they did last game. Granted, he was the only one who shot with any consistency from deep.
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Charlotte can win this game, but they’ll need to play tight defense and close out on shooters. A win tonight would greatly help their chances to make the playoffs. We’ll see if they can get the job done at home against the Pacers.