Buzz City Beat: Charlotte Hornets vs Philadelphia 76ers prediction, MCW may need surgery
Buzz City Beat is Swarm and Sting’s one stop for the latest news and stories from around the web about the Charlotte Hornets.
With Michael Carter-Williams out with a left shoulder sprain, Marcus Paige has been called up from the G-League to add point guard depth. (Twitter/ @HornetsPR) In this edition of Buzz City Beat, we preview the Charlotte Hornets game against the Philadelphia 76ers while also looking at MCW’s season potentially being over and the team’s playoff fate.
Hornets vs Sixers prediction (RealSport101.com)
"If the Hornets lack urgency in this game, the 76ers likely would sustain any fast start after what happened Sunday night. Look for Philadelphia to bounce back either way, and leave Charlotte with a 107-97 victory."
This is a must-win game for Charlotte. Their playoff odds are dwindling with each passing day and they are down to only a 16% chance of making the postseason. (FiveThirtyEight.com) The Hornets have lost three straight heading into this one and it doesn’t help that they blew a 14-point lead to the Sixers last time they faced off.
With an 18-15 record at home and having won their last three outing at the Spectrum Center, there’s a good chance that Charlotte will be victorious in this one. Still, I think their poor form and injuries will put them at a disadvantage. While the Hornets may keep it close, the pick is Philadelphia to win.
MCW could be done for the rest of the season (Twitter/ @HornetsPR)
"HC Steve Clifford says Michael Carter-Williams (left shoulder sprain) will determine a timetable for his return after a decision is made if he needs surgery or will address injury through rehab"
Michael originally suffered the shoulder injury in the first half of the team’s game against the Raptors. Although, he did return to the game in the third quarter. If Carter-Williams does elect for shoulder surgery, he will most likely be done for the remainder of the season. Until he returns, Malik Monk should take over the backup point guard duties.
Even if MCW decides to rehab the injury, he could still miss significant time. Considering that there is only about a month left in the season (18 games) and the Hornets’ low playoff chances, it may be best for him to get the surgery done and make sure he is healthy for next year. We’ll have to wait and see what happens as more news should be available in the coming days.
Charlotte’s postseason fate (BleacherReport.com)
"The Hornets still aren’t going to the playoffs. Considering where they were just a few short weeks ago, though, sneaking into ninth place and buoying their artificial postseason odds qualifies as a nifty consolation prize."
Next: The Charlotte Hornets hidden future
Things are not looking good for the Hornets. While some still hold out hope of a return to the playoffs for the first time since the 2015-16 campaign, the odds are stacked against Charlotte as Basketball-Reference (6.4%) and PlayoffStatus.com (4.0%) gives them little chance to make the postseason this year. After a slow start, Steve Clifford’s side never really recovered and haven’t been consistent enough all season.