The Charlotte Hornets return home for a single game where they’ll face off against the Sacramento Kings.
Things got out of hand for the Charlotte Hornets (12-17) against the Indiana Pacers. Charlotte managed to shoot just 31% from the field and only 16% from behind the arc. They never scored more than 24 points in a quarter and scored only 19 in the fourth compared the Pacers’ 35. Needless to say, the Hornets got rocked.
That’s all in the rearview mirror, though, and they need to focus on their next opponent, the Sacramento Kings (12-14). On a bit of a side note, Charlotte’s schedule is going to get a little weird over the next few weeks.
Their next seven games will see them at home against the Kings, then on the road, return home, on the road again, back at home, yet another road game, then at home once again before going back on the road. That’s going to be a lot of travel for this young team.
If you remember, the Hornets have already played the Kings this year, all the way back on October 30th in Sacramento. Charlotte won that game 118-11, so the team certainly has a chance to take this one at home and sweep the season series.
Again, Charlotte’s last game was a 107-85 loss to the Indiana Pacers. They are at their familiar 10th spot in the Eastern Conference. Sacramento’s last outing was a 100-79 win over the Golden State Warriors. They are 7th in the West. This is the final matchup between these two teams.
Charlotte Hornets vs Sacramento Kings
7:00 p.m. EST, Tuesday, December 17th, 2019
Spectrum Center
Fox Sports Southeast
Stream: Fubo.tv
Injury Report:
CHA:
Nicolas Batum – Hand (Doubtful)
Marvin Williams – Knee (Probable)
P.J. Washington – Finger (Out)
SAC:
De’Aaron Fox – Ankle (Questionable)
Things to watch for:
Hopefully, Marvin can play because the Hornets could definitely use his shooting and ability to spread the defense. Charlotte lacked firepower from deep against Indiana, and he could have helped, but he just wasn’t ready to go.
Despite being below .500, the Kings are fighting for a playoff spot. I don’t know if that says more about the state of the Western Conference this year or that Sacramento is a pretty decent team. Either way, it’d be best not to take them lightly, given they actually have meaningful games to play.
Keys to the game:
In their first game against the Kings, Charlotte shot 50% from deep, but Sacramento’s perimeter defense isn’t too shabby, holding teams to just 35%, good for 14th in the league. Perhaps being back in the Spectrum Center can help motivate the Hornets after an abysmal performance from behind the arc in Indiana.
The Kings draw the fewest personal fouls in the NBA. Subsequently, they also attempt the fewest free-throws. Charlotte has not been great at getting to the line, either, but that trend seems to be changing. In the month of December, the Hornets attempt the 9th most free-throws in the league. If they can keep that up, it will surely help them along the way because, at one point, they were near the bottom in that category.
Ugly losses were going to be a fairly common occurrence for the Hornets this year. So far, they haven’t really shown the ability to bounce back after those losses. Will that change against the Kings? We’ll find out Tuesday night in Charlotte.