Charlotte Hornets: Predicting every game of the 2021-22 season
A tough Western Conference road trip has Charlotte struggling early on in the season.
Nov. 1: vs Cleveland Cavaliers – Win
The second matchup between Charlotte and Cleveland ends in the same result, a win for Charlotte to start Turkey month.
Nov. 3: at Golden State Warriors – Loss
The first Western Conference road trip for the Hornets starts with a matchup against Stephen Curry’s Warriors. Klay Thompson isn’t likely to feature in this game but his services won’t be needed as Golden State comes out with a victory.
Nov. 5: at Sacramento Kings – Loss
The Hornets always struggle during a western road trip and this definitely looks like a game where a team might be looking ahead to teams they have to play afterward. Sacramento steals one from Charlotte here.
Nov. 7: at LA Clippers – Loss
The Western nightmare continues for Charlotte as they drop their third straight to the Clippers. The Clippers are stout defensively and have loads of talent headlined by Kawhi Leonard and Paul George. This will be a tough one for a young team like the Hornets.
Nov. 8: at Los Angeles Lakers – Win
Shocker. The Lakers will be looking at this game as a sure win and Charlotte could luck out as the Lakers look to rest some veterans against them. Hopefully LeBron James. Charlotte’s youth and ability to run the court stun the Lakers in L.A. as Charlotte gets their first win of the road trip.
Nov. 10: at Memphis Grizzlies – Win
After a horrid start to the road trip, Charlotte rights the ship by finishing with back-to-back wins against two of the west’s playoff teams from last season. Ja Morant and the Grizzlies have one stolen by the Buzz.
Nov. 12: vs New York Knicks – Win
A special game in Charlotte as Kemba Walker returns in Knicks colors. Unfortunately for him, his homecoming will be spoiled as the Hornets show their readiness to compete in the east by beating one of its playoff teams from last season.
Hot. Charlotte Hornets: Eastern Conference Power Rankings 1.0. light
Nov. 14: vs Golden State Warriors – Loss
The second league of the Curry-Derby (Father-Son edition) comes early and Steph Curry steals the show again by beating his dad’s former squad for the second time.
Nov. 17: vs Washington Wizards – Win
Hornets get their first sight of the new-look Wizards in this game. These are two even teams and Charlotte should come out fired up and ready to make a statement and establish dominance.
Nov. 19: vs Indiana Pacers – Loss
Charlotte won the first matchup against Indiana but fall short this time against Damontis Sabonis’ Pacers. I’ve got a feeling a little rivalry will brew between these two teams this season.
Nov. 20: at Atlanta Hawks – Loss
Charlotte travels to Atlanta for a back-to-back game against Trae Young and the Eastern Conference finalist from last season. Back-to-back, especially for a young team, is tough to overcome.
Nov. 22: at Washington Wizards – Loss
The loss Charlotte gave Washington just a few days ago should be fresh on the Wizards’ minds as they bounce back this time with a win. This series should be a good back and forth as both teams know they will be battling with each other for a playoff spot.
Nov. 24: at Orlando Magic – Win
After a brutal stretch of nine straight games against teams who were either in the playoffs or play-in, Charlotte can finally feel like they are going into a game they’re supposed to win. Charlotte takes advantage of this opportunity with a win against a bad Magic team.
Nov. 26: vs Minnesota Timberwolves – Win
The Hornets return to Charlotte to host Karl-Anthony Towns and the Minnesota Timberwolves. Towns is good for killing the Hornets but Charlotte should have some extra fuel going against Anthony Edwards. The rookie of the year beef, if you want to call it that, may carry over as he and LaMelo Ball look to battle it out.
Nov. 27: at Houston Rockets – Win
Jalen Green is good, but he likely isn’t good enough to change that much on a team who finished with a league-worst, 17-55, record in 2020-21. Charlotte handles business in Houston and establishes a little winning streak at three games.
Nov. 29: at Chicago Bulls – Loss
The first game of the Ball Brothers Derby comes during the final game of November. Charlotte heads to Chicago to face a revamped Bulls team who’s looking to get back into the playoffs. Lonzo Ball wins this one against his little brother.