Charlotte Hornets look to ring in New Year with win over Dallas Mavericks

It’s now 2019 and the Charlotte Hornets are still in the playoff mix. Can they start the New Year off right with a victory over the Dallas Mavericks?

With a New Year comes the chance for a fresh start. The Charlotte Hornets (18-18) could certainly use one, at least in regards to how they’ve fared against the Western Conference this season. The Hornets are only 1-6 so far against teams from the West. With their next nine games coming against Western teams, including a six-game road stint, they’ll look to improve that record.

That all starts with a home game against the Dallas Mavericks (17-19). This will be the first time they’ll see the Mavericks this season. It will also be their first look at potential Rookie of the Year, Luka Doncic.

The 6’7″ forward out of Slovenia is averaging an impressive 19.6 points a game and 6.5 rebounds. He’ll definitely be a test for the Hornets.

Charlotte’s last game was a 125-100 blowout win over the Orlando Magic. They are currently 6th in the Eastern Conference. Dallas’ last contest was a 102-122 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder. They are 12th in the West. This is the first of two against the Mavs.

Charlotte Hornets vs Dallas Mavericks
7:00 p.m. EST, Wednesday, January 2nd, 2019
Spectrum Center
Fox Sports Southeast

Injury Report:

CHA:

Cody Zeller – Hand (Out)

Jeremy Lamb – Hamstring (Doubtful)

DAL:

None

Things to watch for:

The Mavericks have six different players who average double-digit scoring, so despite their record, they can come at you in a lot of ways.

With Cody out, it will be up to Willy Hernagomez and Frank Kaminsky to try and keep DeAndre Jordan‘s rebounding in check. If Lamb can’t play, this may mean Malik Monk could get the start. Or Coach Borrego could move Nicolas Batum to the two spot and start Michael Kidd-Gilchrist.

Either way, the Hornets will have their hands full in this game.

Keys to the game:

The Mavericks rank in the top 3 in both free-throws made and attempted. Charlotte, however, gives up the 4th fewest personal fouls in the NBA, so it’ll be interesting to see how the foul situation plays out.

Dallas is also prone to turning the ball over, giving up the second most turnovers in the league. This bodes well for the Hornets as they commit the 2nd fewest turnovers, so if they can win the turnover battle, that should help their cause.

Charlotte is about to embark on one of the toughest stretches of their season. Winning what should be a fairly easy contest at home would definitely help provide some cushion before a  tough set of road games. Fans should expect a good one Wednesday night in Charlotte.