After a tough loss on Sunday night against the Boston Celtics, the Charlotte Hornets are seeking their first preseason win against a division opponent.
The Charlotte Hornets did a lot of things right in their first preseason game of the season. The team came close to beating the Boston Celtics, and their young players played well.
The rookie PJ Washington was one of the players who surprised many people after not playing in Summer League this year. Washington finished the game as the team’s leading scorer with 16 points. Charlotte will need this kind of performance against the Miami Heat on Wednesday.
In Wednesday’s matchup, fans may get to see Malik Monk get some playing time after not playing on Sunday due to a toe injury. Monk is fighting for his first career start in the league.
Charlotte Hornets vs Miami Heat
7:30 p.m. EST, Wednesday, October 9th, 2019
Spectrum Center
Stream: Fubo.tv
Injury Report:
CHA:
Cody Martin – Ankle (Doubtful)
MIA:
James johnson – Conditioning (Doubtful)
Kelly Olynyk – Knee (Game-Time Decision)
Things to watch for:
This game will be the first time that the Charlotte Hornets will get to see Jimmy Butler in a Miami Heat uniform. Butler is entering his ninth year in the league, and he’s easily the best player on the Heat.
Keep an eye on the center position during the course of the game. Aside from Bam Adebayo, the Miami Heat does not have a lot of height at their center position. Miami traded their former starting center, Hassan Whiteside, during the offseason.
Keys to the game:
The Hornets won the season series over the Miami Heat last season, but the last two games were losses due to hard-fought defensive possessions. During those previous two matchups between the two teams, no team was able to score over 93 points.
If Charlotte wants to win this one, they will need to take care of the basketball. Charlotte is usually known for not committing too many turnovers, but the team committed 26 in Sunday’s game against the Celtics.
Containing Jimmy Butler should also be a point of emphasis for the Hornets as well. Charlotte will need their young players to continue playing good defense while also finding ways to score on this tough Miami squad.