Charlotte Hornets continue home stand against the Atlanta Hawks

After a disappointing loss to the Brooklyn Nets at home, the Charlotte Hornets will be back at it, facing off against the Atlanta Hawks.

The Charlotte Hornets (9-15) certainly had a few chances to win their last game, but ultimately, it was all for naught as they fell to the Brooklyn Nets for the second straight time. The season must continue, however, and that means taking on their I-85 rival, the Atlanta Hawks (5-17).

Atlanta isn’t exactly having the season a lot of people thought they would. Many thought the Hawks would be potential playoff contenders as their star guard, Trae Young, took the next step. He certainly has blossomed in his second season, averaging almost 29 points a game on 46% shooting and a tad over 8 dimes per contest.

The rest of the team, however, hasn’t exactly picked up the slack. Only two other players average above 15 points a game and even then, it’s only by a point or two. So, it seems a portion of their struggles this season have been on the offensive end, having to rely on Young for most of their output.

As mentioned before, Charlotte’s last game was a 111-104 loss to the Brooklyn Nets. They are 10th in the Eastern Conference. Atlanta’s last contest was also against the Nets, with that being a loss as well. The score for that one was 130-118. Atlanta is 14th in the East. This is the first of four meetings between these teams.

Charlotte Hornets vs Atlanta Hawks
5:00 p.m. EST, Sunday, December 8th, 2019
Spectrum Center
Fox Sports Southeast

Stream: Fubo.tv

Injury Report:

CHA:

Devonte’ Graham – Shoulder (Probable)

Marvin Williams – Knee (Probable)

ATL:

John Collins – Suspension (Out)

Allen Crabbe – Knee (Questionable)

De’Andre Hunter – Finger (Doubtful)

Things to watch for:

Charlotte has won the season series against the Hawks in the last three seasons. With how Atlanta has struggled, it could end up being four straight, but it’s not like Charlotte is without their own set of struggles.

The Hawks should be well-rested for this game with their last game taking place on Wednesday, so hopefully, the Hornets can keep up if this becomes a fast-paced endeavor.

Here’s hoping Devonte’ can play because he’s been the best player so far this year for Charlotte. He and Terry Rozier have developed nice chemistry and it would be nice to see them paired up against a division rival.

Keys to the game:

I mentioned earlier about the Hawks’ heavy reliance on Trae Young. It hasn’t been their only weakness thus far, though. Atlanta surrenders the third-most points per game in the NBA, allowing opponents to score just under 118 points a contest. That’s good news for a Hornets team that has had trouble scoring at times. Hopefully, they can take advantage of the Hawks’ defensive woes.

Both teams are at the bottom of the league in terms of rebounding, with Charlotte being dead last in the league and Atlanta being 28th. If Charlotte can somehow win the rebounding war, that would help them, especially on the offensive glass, should they go cold from the floor.

Charlotte has dominated the series over the past few years and will look to keep that trend going. We’ll see if they can bounce back Sunday evening in the Queen City.