Charlotte Hornets seek revenge win over the Washington Wizards

After a few bad losses before the All-Star break, the Charlotte Hornets look to turn things around with a revenge win at home against the Washington Wizards.

After no major moves at the NBA trade deadline, the Charlotte Hornets (27-30) look to revamp their season with a win against the Washington Wizards (24-34) on Friday night in Uptown. This game should not be taken lightly though, as the Hornets have lost to inferior teams a few times already this season.

In their last contest, the Hornets fell to the Wizards 130-126 on the road. This lost was a tough one, and star point guard Kemba Walker was on the brink of having a fifty point outing.

The Wizards have suffered a lot of adversity throughout the season; losing a star player, and not having key contributors healthy enough to play. This team is fighting to get into playoff contention, and that makes them a dangerous team to play.

Charlotte Hornets vs Washington Wizards
7:00 p.m. EST, Friday, February 22nd, 2019
Spectrum Center
Fox Sports Southeast

Injury Report:

CHA:

Bismack Biyombo – Knee (Game-Time Decision)

WAS:

Dwight Howard – Back (Out)

John Wall – Ankle (Out)

Devin Robinson – Hip (Game-Time Decision)

Things to watch for:

The most important thing to watch will be how the Hornets can contain Bobby Portis and Bradley Beal. Both of these players have had big games against the Hornets as of late, and limiting them on offense will be a tough task for Charlotte.

Another thing to watch for is the amount of energy that the Hornets come out with. After hosting the All-Star game in Charlotte last week, the Hornets will have the chance to win at home on Friday night. The city of Charlotte was buzzing with energy during All-Stark weekend, and it would be nice for that energy to carry over into Friday night’s game.

Keys to the game:

In this game, the Hornets must look to limit the passing abilities of the Washington Wizards. The Wizards are currently ranked 5th in the NBA in assists per game with 26.6. If the Hornets can force some turnovers early, it will benefit them later in the game.

This Wizards team may seem inferior, but they can score; they are also currently ranked 8th in the NBA in points per game with 113.9. A lot of their scoring comes from Beal, so the Hornets must find a way to limit him on offense.

This game is a must-win for the Hornets, as they look to get back to two games under the .500 mark. This game may determine how the rest of the season goes for the Hornets, so they must come out strong.