Charlotte Hornets Report - Week of February 2nd - 8th
Credit: Charlotte Hornets
LAST 3 GAMES
- vs. New York Knicks: W, 101-92
- @ Boston Celtics: L, 94,126
- vs. Memphis Grizzlies: W, 100-92
Happy Groundhog Day Chief Nation! Another week in the books and the Hornets performed about how I expected them to. Their only loss this week was against the Celtics at home and at the moment, that is a difficult undertaking for any team. In their wins, they really didn’t play as well as anticipated, but wins are all that matters to them in a crucial stretch of the season. The Hornets did not shoot well this week, hovering around 43% in every game. Despite that, they have moved up to 7thin the Eastern Conference and have built a 2.5 game lead over the 9thplace Detroit Pistons. This week, HC James Borrego played a smaller lineup and I think that is the reason why their numbers were lower than usual. At this moment, I don’t think the Hornets are a good enough scoring offense to field a smaller lineup on a regular basis. They had trouble with the Knicks and the Grizzlies at home and didn’t even have a chance against the Celtics on Wednesday night. This week they’re not playing against teams with great big men, so look for the Hornets to continue to play a smaller lineup. Tony Parker probably had the best week last week even though he was out of action against the Celtics. He scored 15 in both games and averaged just over 20 minutes a game. Looking ahead to this week’s slate of games it looks like it should be a good week for the Hornets, but it will not be without its challenges.
NEXT 3 GAMES
- vs. Chicago Bulls (12-40): Saturday, February 2ndat 7pm
- vs. Los Angeles Clippers (28-24): Tuesday, February 5that 7pm
- @ Dallas Mavericks (23-28): Wednesday, February 6that 8:30pm
Tonight, the Hornets are facing one of the worst teams in basketball, but it will not be an easy test. If the Bulls are zeroed in, they will not go down easily. They are banged up a little at the moment, but they will have Zach LaVine, Lauri Markkanen, and Kris Dunn to worry about. The Bulls have been playing very closely to opponents in the late stages of game over the past couple weeks. Although this shouldn’t be a difficult game for Charlotte, they shouldn’t take them lightly either. The Bulls own the 2ndworst scoring offense in the NBA, so if the Hornets play solid defense and force them to take bad shots, look for this one to be a W for Charlotte.
Next on the slate, the Hornets will play the Clippers at home. Going from one of the worst offenses in basketball, the Hornets will be playing one of the best NBA offense to date. The Clippers are 6thin scoring offense, but it looks like they will still be without the services of Danilo Gallinari. The two teams squared off last month and the Clippers won that one in Los Angeles. Montrezl Harrell was the player of the game in that one and look for him to be a force in the upcoming game. This time will be different though, Tobias Harris was snubbed a trip to the All-Star Game in Charlotte and is playing with a vengeance. Although the game will be at home, it will not be an easy contest for the Hornets.
The Hornets will be playing back-to-back, but for the second game, they will travel to Dallas to take on the Mavericks. This week, the Mavericks have a new outlook for their future. They made big waves in the trade of the year A couple days ago, they acquired Kristaps Porzingis, Trey Burke, and Tim Hardaway Jr. in a mega deal. Porzingis expressed in a meeting that he was unhappy with the direction of the Knicks organization and was traded just a couple hours after the news broke. Next year, we will get to see the exciting pair of he and Luka Dončić. Speaking of the current team though, they will be playing with a new energy, good or bad? I’m not entirely sure at the moment, but we should find out by Wednesday. Despite being horrible on the road, the Mavericks are one of the best home teams in the NBA. In their last meeting in Charlotte, the Mavericks absolutely blew the doors off of the Hornets. It will be another tough test for the Hornets as they are not good on the road either. This Mavericks team will have a different look, so the approach will surely change from the last meeting.
Yacs