After skidding against the conference-leading Philadelphia 76ers Wednesday, the Charlotte Hornets host the best of the West in the Utah Jazz this Friday at Spectrum Center. It will finish their brutal 6-game stretch that began last week against Indiana with a surprising 3-2 record to show for it thus far.
The Hornets will hope to take advantage of Utah on the second night of a back-to-back, but it’ll still be a tall order—the Jazz leads not only the Western Conference but the entire NBA in win percentage at 16-5. It’ll be the first meeting between the two teams in over a year when the Jazz handed the Hornets a 109-92 loss in Salt Lake City last January.
A win Friday would help the Hornets separate from the crowded middle of the Eastern Conference. More than that, it would be another signature win for the young team to hang its hat on as its exciting brand of fast-paced basketball continues to gain national recognition.
What to Watch For
With Terry Rozier upgraded to probable after being sidelined for 2 games with an ankle injury, there may be speculation on whether Hornets rookie Lamelo Ball makes his 3rd career start Friday. Though Ball will most likely move back to the bench, he averaged a respectable 18 points, 6 rebounds, and 5 assists over those 2 games on 40.7% shooting from the field and 50% from 3.
While Gordon Hayward is having his best statistical year since his lone all-star season in Utah, he hasn’t faired well in meetings against his former team. Averaging 10.7 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 4 assists on 35.7% shooting from the field and 20% from 3 in those 3 games, he’ll have to get the monkey off his back for the Hornets to secure a win over one of the NBA’s top defenses.
With P.J. Washington’s absence, the Charlotte Hornets are still searching for a reliable center rotation when Cody Zeller isn’t on the floor. Against Philadelphia, Caleb Martin functionally played minutes at center guarding Dwight Howard (it didn’t work). Bismack Biyombo is dead last out of 251 qualifying players in 538’s RAPTOR rating. Will this be the game that Nick Richards finally gets some burn? Probably not, but Charlotte will have to figure out something against 2 talented centers in Rudy Gobert and Derek Favors.
Keys to the Game
Considering Utah has one of the best rim-protecting centers in the league, it may sound strange to say that this game will likely come down to 3 point shooting. However, the Jazz’s 3 primary guards (Mitchell, Conley, and Clarkson) are averaging nearly 24 three-point attempts a game between them. On the back of a resurgent year for veteran guard Mike Conley after a disappointing 2019-20 season, Utah is currently 1st in the NBA in three-point makes and 4th in three-point shooting percentage.
On the flip side, Charlotte is allowing the 4th-most three-point makes in the league, albeit with the 13th-best allowed three-point percentage. If the Hornets can contest shots on the perimeter without giving Gobert and Favors easy looks at the rim, they’ve got a chance.