Charlotte Hornets: Predicting every game of the 2021-22 season
Another brutal Western road trip has Charlotte with a losing record to end the year.
Dec. 1: at Milwaukee Bucks – Loss
Charlotte’s first game against the Giannis Antetokounmpo and the NBA Champions, Milwaukee Bucks. Their champions for a reason and will likely prove that against Charlotte in this one. Hornets start this month off with a loss.
Dec. 5: at Atlanta Hawks – Win
The second fixture between the Hawks and Hornets in Atlanta ends this time with a Hornets win. Charlotte will be battling to get back into the win column and prove themselves against their Southeast Division rivals.
Dec. 6: vs Philadelphia 76ers – Win
Joel Embiid and the 76ers usually have the Hornets’ number. This year Charlotte looks to address that in their first matchup and they succeed with a victory over Philadelphia.
Dec. 8: vs Philadelphia 76ers – Loss
Don’t move too fast, Charlotte has back-to-back games against Philly, and this time, Embiid and co. get the better of Charlotte.
Dec. 10: vs Sacramento Kings – Win
The rematch between these two clubs goes the other direction this time with Charlotte coming out on top of the Kings. The Hornets should see this game as a must-win after dropping the first game in Sacramento.
Dec. 13: at Dallas Mavericks – Loss
The second western road trip for the Hornets starts with Charlotte traveling to Dallas for their first matchup against Luka Doncic and the Mavericks. Doncic and Co. prove to be too much to handle for this Hornets squad and they drop this game.
Dec. 15: at San Antonio Spurs – Win
Greg Popovich’s Spurs always prove to be a challenge for any team, that will be no different this season but Charlotte steals one from the Spurs at home in this game.
Dec. 17: at Portland Trailblazers – Loss
After a big win in San Antonio, Charlotte travels to Portland looking to upset Lillard’s Blazers. Unfortunately for Charlotte, it’s Dame time in Oregon and the Hornets let this game slip away.
Dec. 19: at Phoenix Suns – Win
Much like the Lakers game in November, this is likely a game the Western Conference champions will be looking past. This presents the perfect opportunity for the Hornets to steal a game from the Suns on a tough road trip.
Dec. 20: at Utah Jazz – Loss
After a massive win against the Suns, the Hornets find themselves in Utah for a back-to-back matchup against the Jazz. With Donovan Mitchell, Rudy Gobert, and co., Utah is a matchup nightmare for the Hornets and they likely lose this one by a wide margin.
Dec. 23: at Denver Nuggets – Loss
Another extremely tough matchup for the Hornets as they travel to the Mile High City to face the reigning MVP, Nikola Jokic, and the Denver Nuggets. This will be a tough one for the Hornets to overcome, but I think they will give the Nuggets a run for their money in this one. Unfortunately, Charlotte comes up just short.
Dec. 27: vs Houston Rockets – Win
Charlotte returns home from a long road trip to a favorable matchup against the Rockets. Charlotte should be heavily favored here and takes a 2-0 series lead on a bad Houston team.
Dec. 29: at Indiana Pacers – Loss
Charlotte opened the season against the Pacers and now ends the year of 2021 against the same opponent. Both teams will be wanting to end the year on a high note and the pot that’s been stirring since that play-in game will only be hotter. Pacers take this one at home.