Charlotte Hornets seek first win of preseason against Memphis Grizzlies
With just two preseason games left, the Charlotte Hornets look to finally get into the win column.
To say this preseason has been disappointing for the Charlotte Hornets (0-3) is an understatement. It hasn’t been all bad, though, as several of the younger players have shown a lot of promise. Sill, notching their first win of the preseason is most likely a priority, and snagging one against the undefeated Memphis Grizzlies (2-0) on the road would be a nice little boost to morale.
As the team continues to gel, victory could come sooner, rather than later, and against a team like the Grizzlies that no one expects much from this season, this could be the case Monday night. Of course, they do have to play the game, but this one is definitely winnable.
They certainly cannot come out cold as they did against the Philadelphia 76ers. Scoring just 14 points in a quarter will lose you games almost every time. Hopefully, the coaching staff will have the players better prepared this time around.
As mention before, Charlotte’s last game was a 100-87 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers. They are still last in the Eastern Conference. Memphis’ last contest was a 108-94 win over the New Zealand Breakers. They are tied for second in the West.
Charlotte Hornets at Memphis Grizzlies
8:00 p.m. EST, Monday, October 14th, 2019
FedEx Forum
NBA TV
Stream: FuboTV
Injury Report:
CHA:
Cody Martin – Ankle (Questionable)
Nic Batum – Achilles (Questionable)
MEM:
Jonas Valanciunas – Foot (Questionable)
De’Anthony Melton – Back (Questionable)
Things to watch for:
This will be the first time the Grizzlies will face an actual NBA team this preseason. Their last two games were against New Zealand and Maccabi Haifa. So, it’ll be interesting to see how they fare against the Hornets.
Charlotte is shooting just 29% from deep this preseason. Conversely, Memphis is allowing 35% from deep, so perhaps this is a game they can get right from behind the arc.
Keys to the game:
This game will feature two of the younger teams in the league, with Charlotte being the 6th youngest and Memphis being the 9th. This game very well could come down to who can get more points off turnovers as the younger guys tend to cough the rock up as they transition into the NBA. If Charlotte can convert on turnovers, that would definitely be a boon.
Something else of note is Memphis’ rebounding, where they lead the NBA. That may just be a result of playing non-NBA teams, but it’s something to consider. If the Hornets can establish position down low and keep the Grizzlies off the offensive and defensive glass, that will most certainly benefit them.
Next. Joe Chealey, Josh Perkins latest to hit waivers. dark
It’s easy to say the NBA preseason doesn’t matter, but this is a valuable experience for a team looking to find its identity. This has the makings of a game the team can win, but they’ll need to avoid sloppiness and come out hot out of the gate. We’ll see if they can get their first victory Monday night in Memphis.