Charlotte Hornets seek revenge against the Atlanta Hawks

Can the Charlotte Hornets keep up the momentum they’ve built and avenge their last loss against the Atlanta Hawks?

Charlotte Hornets (10-10) fans know all too well the feeling of disappointment when they lose to an inferior team. With losses to the bottom three teams in the East, its been a bit of a theme so far. One of those terrible losses was just three days ago Atlanta Hawks (5-16) in Atlanta.

It was a 123-124 nail-biter that the Hornets should have won, but a fairly controversial no-call as Kemba Walker was driving to the basket ensured Charlotte’s demise. Tell me if you’ve heard that before.

That loss can’t be just blamed on one play, however, as Atlanta shot 53% from the field. That’s simply inexcusable against a basement dwelling team like the Hawks. Granted, the Hornets do rank 16th in the NBA in opponent field goal percentage, but Atlanta only shoots 44% from the floor, good enough for 22nd in the league. A loss like that shouldn’t happen.

Alas, that’s in the past and teams must move on. The Hornets did just that in their last game, eking past the Milwaukee Bucks, 110-107. That game almost got out of hand, though, as the Hornets nearly squandered their 25 point lead.

Charlotte currently sits at the 7th spot in the Eastern Conference. The Hawks’ last game was a 115-113 win over the Miami Heat. They are 14th in the East. This is the third of four games these teams will play against each other.

Charlotte Hornets vs Atlanta Hawks
7:00 p.m. EST, Wednesday, November 28th, 2018
Spectrum Center
Fox Sports Southeast

Injury Report:

CHA:

None

ATL:

Tyler Dorsey – Leg (Out)

Alex Poythress – Ankle (Questionable)

Things to watch for:

Although they might not have the heated rivalry that their NFL counterparts do, I assume it always stings whenever the Hawks beat the Hornets, especially in the fashion that transpired in their last contest. Hopefully, the Hornets come out swinging and don’t let up.

Kemba shot just 7-23 in their last game against the Hawks. You just know he wants to go off on them because of that, especially at home. Hopefully, we get the 60-point Kemba and not the Kemba we saw that night.

Keys to the game:

Defense, plain and simple. Don’t give up open threes, get a hand in their face, don’t leave shooters alone because of over-commitment to the double team.

They also need to continue bottling up Trae Young as he’s just shooting 39% from the field against the Hornets and 23.5% from behind the arc. Though he is a rookie, he can still hurt you. The Hawks lead the NBA in turnovers committed. If Charlotte can disrupt passing lanes and correctly apply full and half-court traps, they should be able to get Atlanta to cough up the rock and hopefully, turn that into scoring for themselves.

That loss on Sunday still should leave a bad taste in their mouths, but with a win over the Bucks, the Hornets’ confidence should be soaring. Here’s hoping they can clip the Hawks’ wings with a win in the Spectrum Center.