The 2022 NBA Regular season is almost here and the Charlotte Hornets will take the floor in a few short days.
With that said, let us preview the October portion of the Hornets’ regular season schedule.
Game #1 – Charlotte Hornets at San Antonio Spurs (10/19/2022 – 8:00 PM)
This game should be a win for the Hornets as San Antonio appears to be all in on the Victor Wembanyama sweepstakes. Even with LaMelo Ball not playing, the Hornets should take care of business in this one. Despite Gregg Popovich still roaming the sidelines in San Antonio, Charlotte simply has a better team.
Prediction – Hornets win
Game #2 – Charlotte Hornets vs. New Orleans Pelicans (10/21/2022 – 7:00 PM)
The Hornets will host the Pelicans for their home opener on a Friday night in Charlotte. One major question looms; will Zion Williamson play? He is dealing with yet another injury after missing all last season.
Zion rolled his ankle pretty good on this one. Still managed to shoot the free throws after.
— Will Guillory (@WillGuillory) October 13, 2022
Willie Green says he's considered day to day. pic.twitter.com/KHl3VIutaz
Beyond Williamson, the Pelicans still have firepower with CJ McCollum and Brandon Ingram.
Prediction – Hornets lose
Game #3 – Charlotte Hornets at Atlanta Hawks (10/23/2022 – 5:00 PM)
The Hornets make the trip down I-85 to take on their neighbors to the south for this matchup. This will be Charlotte’s first game in Atlanta since last season’s play-in game debacle. While this one hopefully won’t get that lopsided and certainly won’t have the same ramifications, Atlanta is simply a better team and should play like it.
Prediction – Hornets lose
Game #4 – Charlotte Hornets at New York Knicks (10/26/2022 – 7:30 PM)
The Knicks’ quasi-big three of Julius Randle, RJ Barrett, and Jalen Brunson are hoping to help New York return to the playoffs after a down season last year. While these two teams are close in most preseason predictions, the absence of LaMelo Ball will be tough to overcome in this matchup. Look for the Knicks to ride home court advantage to the victory here.
Prediction – Hornets lose
Game #5 – Charlotte Hornets at Orlando Magic (10/28/2022 – 7:00 PM)
The Magic have a plethora of young talent, headlined by this year’s number one pick in Paolo Banchero. This game also features Steve Clifford coaching his current (and former) team against his former team. While Orlando will be much improved this year, Charlotte does just enough to earn a victory in this one.
Prediction – Hornets win
Game #6 – Charlotte Hornets vs. Golden State Warriors (10/29/2022 – 7:00 PM)
Storylines abound for this matchup. Kenny Atkinson comes to town after he spurned the Hornets’ head coaching job this offseason, Stephen Curry makes his annual homecoming to Charlotte, and the Warriors hope to snap a two-game losing streak in games played in Charlotte.
Also, the Draymond Green incident will still be fresh on everyone’s mind.
Prediction – Hornets lose
Draymond Green punching Jordan Poole during practice 😳 pic.twitter.com/sliuf0doJj
— Complex Sports (@ComplexSports) October 7, 2022
Game #7 – Charlotte Hornets vs. Sacramento Kings (10/31/2022 – 7:00 PM)
Sacramento always appears to be a team on the verge, and for whatever reason it never materializes into a playoff berth. With both teams having play-in tournament aspirations, look for this early-season tilt to be a competitive, back-and-forth affair.
Prediction – Hornets win
Record Prediction – 3-4
These predictions have the Charlotte Hornets getting wins against the Spurs, Magic, and Kings. They also have them taking losses against the Pelicans, Hawks, Knicks, and Warriors. With that said, predictions are just predictions, and in the game of basketball anything can happen.