Charlotte Hornets look to close at home with a win over the Atlanta Hawks
The Charlotte Hornets swept the season series against the Atlanta Hawks last year. They’ll look to continue that when the Hawks come to town.
The Charlotte Hornets (5-5) aren’t doing too bad this year. Yes, they’ve lost a few close ones, which is something they need to remedy. They’ve beaten the Miami Heat twice already (something they couldn’t do at all last year), and finally defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers after losing nine straight to them. Yes, they don’t have LeBron James any longer, but I’m trying to look for positives any way I can here.
Something else positive going for the Hornets is their recent play against the Atlanta Hawks (3-6). Charlotte has won seven of their last eight against their I-85 rivals. Hornets’ fans hope this success continues and with Charlotte going 7-1 in their last eight home games against Atlanta, there’s little reason to think it shouldn’t.
Charlotte’s last game was a 126-94 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers. They currently sit at 6th place in the Eastern Conference. Atlanta’s last contest was a 123-118 win over the Miami Heat. They are 10th in the East.
Charlotte Hornets vs. Atlanta Hawks
7:00 p.m. EST, Tuesday, November 6th, 2018
Spectrum Center
Fox Sports Southeast
Injury Report
CHA:
None
ATL:
Justin Anderson – Leg (Out)
John Collins – Ankle (Out)
Taurean Waller-Prince – Ankle (Game-Time Decision)
Things to watch for
This will be the first of four games against the Hawks this season. This also means this will be the first of four games the Hornets will see potential rookie of the year candidate Trae Young. Young is playing exceptionally well, averaging just over 19 points a game and nearly eight assists.
It’ll be interesting to see how the Hornets handle the young star. The Hornets have only won consecutive games once this season. It is still early, of course, but that is something they’ll need to do more often if they want to be a playoff caliber team.
Keys to the game
Atlanta ranks 7th in the NBA in assists. That’s not really a telling stat as they also rank 17th in field goal percentage. So, they’re not as efficient as one might think. Still, it would be wise to make sure forcing turnovers and not allowing open looks is a focus.
Although he is a rookie, Trae Young can hurt you. His three-point shot, however, is still adjusting to the NBA level, as he’s only shooting 32% from deep. Most of his work comes from driving and slashing to the basket and either passing out to open shooters or laying the ball up himself.
Must Read. Charlotte Hornets climbing NBA power rankings. light
Charlotte has proven they can handle the Hawks over the past few seasons. Can they keep it up this season? We’ll find out Tonight night in the Spectrum Center.