Can the Charlotte Hornets bounce back to defeat the Minnesota Timberwolves?

The Hornets are coming off two uneasy losses to the reigning NBA champion Boston Celtics.

Feb 24, 2023; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Charlotte Hornets guard LaMelo Ball (1) works past Minnesota Timberwolves forward Anthony Edwards (1) in the third quarter at Target Center. Mandatory Credit: Bruce Kluckhohn-Imagn Images / Bruce Kluckhohn-Imagn Images

Injury Report

Hornets: OUT: Mark Williams (foot), Nick Richards (shoulder), DaQuan Jeffries (hand) QUESTIONABLE: Brandon Miller (glute, injury management)

Timberwolves: QUESTIONABLE: Rudy Gobert (ankle)

Game Preview

The Charlotte Hornets (2-4) travel to Minnesota to tackle the Timberwolves (3-3) on Monday (Nov. 4) after the Buzz City squad lost in back-to-back home games in Charlotte against the reigning NBA champion Boston Celtics last week.

Monday's one-game jaunt to Minneapolis is the second road trip for the Hornets after they opened the 2024-25 season with games at Houston and Atlanta — a win against the Rockets followed by a loss to the Hawks. At home, the Hornets misfired against the Miami Heat and triumphed over the Toronto Reports before the uneasy dual loss to Boston. Sure, the season has only just begun, but are things already starting to look a little shaky for Charlotte?

And will the Hornets have what it takes to topple the Wolves in the two teams' first meeting this season? Star Charlotte point guard LaMelo Ball has scored an average of 30 points per game so far, and he has looked to be in good health, a primary challenge for him over the last two seasons.

However, Hornets fans have not seen the return of third-year center Mark Williams due to his foot injury in the preseason. Second-year swingman Brandon Miller is still grappling with a glute strain that's made him miss all but two games thus far. Both players are huge for supporting Melo and driving the offense.

Hornets head coach Charles Lee, the former Celtics assistant in his first year as HC in the league, needs Williams and Miller to help stagger the Hornets on the court. Meanwhile, Oklahoma City Thunder transplant Tre Mann continues to heat up and occupy his sixth-man role for Charlotte, the PG grabbing an average of 19 PPG each game, logging 23 in last Friday's contest against Boston after coming off the bench — quite the change from the 8.5 PPG Mann averaged with the Thunder.

Defensive tactics remain a question for the Hornets, particularly for Melo as the team's propelling force — something Lee recently referenced when speaking to the media. In after-game availability following last Saturday's loss to the Celtics, Lee said the Hornets are "trying to continue to challenge him. We have to learn about if he can guard one-on-one or do we need to send a double team every time or are you going to foul? I think that's something as a staff that we've got to figure out."

Key matchup

LaMelo Ball vs. Anthony Edwards 

Dominant center Karl-Anthony Towns may be gone from the Wolves this year, but perennial Minnesota guard Anthony Edwards remains a clutch asset for the Western Conference team. And Monday's matchup between the Hornets and Wolves could show us who has the best early-season tenacity between Melo and the Ant-Man. After all, Edwards is on Melo's level — he's currently scoring around 28 PPG. Still, no matter what, it will be fun to watch the two white-hot guards go at it.

Projected starting lineups

	Charlotte Hornets	Minnesota Timberwolves
G	LaMelo Ball	Mike Conley
G	Seth Curry	Anthony Edwards
F	Josh Green	Jaden McDaniels
F	Miles Bridges	Julius Randle
C	Grant Williams	Naz Reid

The Hornets' next game will be at home in Spectrum Center against the Detroit Pistons on Wednesday (Nov. 6) at 7 p.m. ET.

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