Charlotte Hornets: Game preview and things to watch against Atlanta Hawks

Charlotte Hornets LaMelo Ball. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports
Charlotte Hornets LaMelo Ball. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports /
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After a huge win on Friday night, the Charlotte Hornets will be looking at going 2-0 on this back-to-back game set against the Atlanta Hakes.

Since Wednesday, the Charlotte Hornets have gone 2-0, beating the Atlanta Hawks and the New Orleans Pelicans. The Hornets will be looking to get their first three-game winning streak of the season against the Hawks.

The Hornets last saw the Hawks on Wednesday night, where Charlotte came out with a 102-94 victory. Gordon Hayward led the team in scoring with 44 points, which was his new career-high in scoring.

In the last game, the Hornets limited Trae Young to only seven points; this was a big reason why Charlotte won. However, the Hornets are going to have to do it again if they wish to come out on top.

LaMelo Ball is coming off of a game where he almost finished with his first career triple-double. Fans could be in for another show in this one.

Charlotte Hornets vs. Atlanta Hawks
7:00 p.m. EST, Saturday, January 9th, 2021
Spectrum Center
Fox Sports Southeast

Stream: Fubo.tv

Injury Report:

CHA:

Cody Zeller – Hand (Out)

ATL:

Onyeka Okongwu – Toe (Out)

Bruno Fernando – Hip (Questionable)

Rajon Rondo – Knee (Out)

Danilo Gallinari – Ankle (Out)

Tony Snell – Foot (Questionable)

Things to watch:

The Hornets have not won three straight games yet this season. Fans should watch to see if the Hornets can keep their composure in this won. The last time the Hornets were in the position to win three straight, they lost to the Memphis Grizzlies.

Gordon Hayward is coming off another good game against the Pelicans on Friday night. He scored his career-high in points on Wednesday against the Hawks. Look for Hayward to come out and have another good game.

The Hawks are still dealing with quite a few injuries, so the Hornets will need to take advantage of this. Injuries hurt the Hawks on Wednesday, so this will be something else that they will try to overcome.

Keys to the game:

Just like in the last matchup against Atlanta, the Hornets will need to limit the scoring of Trae Young. However, the Hornets need to also contain Kevin Huerter; he scored 19 off the bench in the last matchup.

The Hornets will also need to win the rebounding battle in this one. They allowed Clint Capela to grab 19 rebounds in the last game. Six of those rebounds came on offense, which helped the Hawks get easy second-chance points.

If the Charlotte Hornets come out with a win in this one, the team will be at the .500 mark for the second time this season. Look for this one to be tough since Charlotte is coming off a Friday night game.

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