Charlotte Hornets Report: Week of December 30th 2019
LAST 4 GAMES
- vs. Utah Jazz: L, 107-114
- @ Boston Celtics: L, 93-119
- vs. Oklahoma City Thunder: L, 102-104 (OT)
- @ Memphis Grizzlies: L, 104-117
This is the last Hornets Report of the decade and hopefully the 20’s will treat the Hornets better. After showing a little bit of hope in the early part of the season, the Hornets seemingly have lost their momentum as of late and have lost 6 of their last 7. It was a tough week for Charlotte, but I feel like they could’ve walked out with at least a win from the last two weeks. Devonte’ Graham is continuing to lead the Hornets, but has hit somewhat of a snag in scoring efficiency. His point production is still there, but His FG Percentage has taken a hit over the last couple of weeks. This week’s Hornets MVP is Terry Rozier. He has average 19.5 PPG over the last 4 and was more efficient than Graham. The upcoming 3-game slate will look to be another tough one for Charlotte, but I’d like to think they can enter 2020 with a 1-0 record.
NEXT 3 GAMES
- vs. Boston Celtics (22-8): Tuesday, December 31st at 3pm
- @ Cleveland Cavaliers (10-22): Thursday, January 2nd at 7pm
- @ Dallas Mavericks (21-11): Saturday, January 4th at 8:30pm
The last game of 2019 will be against a tough Boston Celtics team and it will also be the last game of their season series. Boston has won the first two and I want to remain optimistic, but it appears that they are on board to make it a sweep. The Celtics are one of the best teams in the East and will look to win again on Tuesday afternoon. It seems weird to have an afternoon game, but if you are in the area tomorrow night, it is Terry Rozier bobblehead night, so make sure to get a ticket. The Celtics basically do everything well, so all I can say is good luck.
The first game of 2020 really feels like a game that Charlotte should win. They are heading to Cleveland on Thursday and it will be their second meeting of the year. The Cavs won the first meeting in a close game, but hopefully this time will be a different story. Terry Rozier was the leading scorer in that game with 35 points and it was a game that Charlotte honestly should’ve been blown out, but the Cavs had a slew of turnovers. This is something to expect for Cleveland as they are 29th in turnovers in the NBA. Hornets have to capitalize on TOs to win the game.
The last game of the week will be against another formidable opponent, but this time it will be against a tough Western Conference team. I got excited when I saw an 8:30 start time on a Saturday, but this clearly isn’t a primetime game. Luka-Mania is running wild and it clearly cannot be stopped. He is averaging 28.8 PPG, 9.5 RPG, and 9.0 APG and is currently only 20 years old. I don’t think there has ever been a player with this much of an impact at such a young age. Maybe LeBron, but that’s where the line ends. They are also a team that does pretty much everything well. They have the 2nd least turnovers in the NBA, which could be a problem for Charlotte. Defending the 3 has to be a priority. Dallas takes the 2nd most threes in the NBA, so making them take bad long-range shots could help the Hornets win.
Yacs