As the new season begins, the Charlotte Hornets will look to start off the new year with a 1-0 record against the Cleveland Cavaliers.
After only going 1-3 in the preseason, the Charlotte Hornets are looking to make up for a lot of their mistakes in their first game of the 2019-20 season. With the start of this new season, the Hornets will be looking to win on opening night for the straight year.
Before the end of the season earlier this year, the Hornets had only played the Cavaliers twice. Both of the teams finished the season tied, as both won a game against one another.
The Hornets made a lot of improvements this offseason, and the team will be looking to see if they can find any success on opening night. Players like LaMelo Ball and Gordon Hayward will play a major impact in Wednesday’s game.
This Cavaliers team will look a little different than last season, as the Hornets did not get the chance to play Andre Drummond after he was traded to Cleveland.
Charlotte Hornets at Cleveland Cavaliers
7:00 p.m. EST, Wednesday, December 22nd, 2020
Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse
Fox Sports Southeast
Stream: Fubo.tv
Injury Report:
CHA:
Grant Riller – Knee (Questionable)
CLE:
Kevin Love – Calf (Out)
Things to watch for:
A key thing to watch will be how Gordon Hayward handles his finger injury. This injury took place in the team’s second preseason game, but Hayward assured the team that he needed to play in this game.
The Cavaliers will be without their starting power forward in this game, and the Hornets will need to take advantage of this. Watch for the team to put more pressure on Cleveland’s frontcourt.
Fans will also need to watch rookie LaMelo Ball’s performance in this game. After a slow preseason, Ball will need to have a strong outing off the bench for Charlotte. However, fans can likely expect a lot of flashy passes from Ball.
Keys to the game:
One of the keys to this game will be to limit the Cavalier’s opportunities on the glass. Cleveland has one of the best rebounders in league with Andre Drummond, so Charlotte will need to be strong in the paint.
Aside from rebounding, the Hornets will need to limit shots in the paint, as they were ranked as one of the worst paint defending teams in the league last season. Charlotte will need to dig deep and find ways to stop the Cavs from scoring at the basket.
Furthermore, the Hornets must limit turnovers in this game. Charlotte averaged 19.8 turnovers per game, which ranked them the 7th team in the league with the most turnovers. Charlotte has to take better care of the basketball if they want to come out 1-0.
It’s a new season. The Charlotte Hornets are looking to prove doubters wrong this season. Opening night will be one of their first shots to do this.