Charlotte Hornets at Washington Wizards Game Preview
Injury Report
Hornets: OUT Kelly Oubre Jr (hand), Cody Martin (knee)
Wizards: QUESTIONABLE Bradley Beal (foot), Kyle Kuzma (ankle)
Game Preview
Washington is coming into this game losing three in a row, while the Hornets enter losing four straight. Overall, the Wizards are the hotter team as they have won six out of their last ten games and have climbed back into the Eastern Conference playoff picture. They are currently tied for the final spot in the play-in tournament so every game is critical for them. If the Wizards are without both Bradley Beal and Kyle Kuzma, the Hornets have a real chance to steal this one on the road and be the team who snaps their respective losing streak.
Wednesday marks the final game for Charlotte before the trade deadline on Thursday afternoon, and the team could look drastically different by that time. It's always tricky writing a preview about a game this close to the deadline as we may see some players sit out due to a pending deal with another team. Could this be the last game we see Mason Plumlee or Terry Rozier suit up in the purple and teal? Mason is enjoying possibly his best season of his career and Rozier has really come alive in this recent stretch of the season. Rozier scored an extremely efficient 24 points in Sunday's game against the Magic on just 14 shots including connecting on three of five attempts from three. Plumlee has been on a tear for the last few weeks, and Charlotte will need strong efforts from both of these veterans in they hope to play spoiler in Washington against a team fighting for their playoff lives.
Kristaps Porzingis has had a strong season for Washington, averaging over 22 points a game while shooting almost 50% from the floor and leading the team in rebounding with almost nine a game. Washington as a team is shooting 35% from three and 55% from two on the season compared to 32% and 53% respectively for Charlotte. Something to keep an eye on in this game is LaMelo Ball's rim pressure. It has been very evident in recent games that Ball has wanted to be much more aggressive in getting into the paint and scoring once he's there. We haven't really seen this kind of rim pressure from him in his time in the NBA, so this has to be a very exciting development for the Charlotte Hornets. We know he has become a lights out shooter and is one of the most gifted passers the league has, but he hasn't always shown the ability to finish around the rim until recently. He had a very quiet first half on Sunday against the Magic but then exploded in the second frame with a few threes and some impressive drives. He is not getting a friendly whistle as of yet but that will come if he continues attacking consistently.
Key Matchup: Mason Plumlee vs Kristaps Porzingis
It was mentioned earlier, but both Porzingis and Plumlee are having very nice seasons this year for their respective teams. Porzingis is leading his team in points and rebounds and Plumlee is shooting 67% from the field and averaging north of 15 points and 12 rebounds per 36 minutes. He has also increased his free throw percentage from a dismal 40% last season to 60% so far this year which has impacted his game in many ways. Last season, Plumlee often looked hesitant to attack the basket and finish through contact most likely because he didn't want to go to the free throw line and try to earn his points there. You saw him drive to pass more often than not and miss out on some easy opportunities to score for himself. He has tremendous passing skills for a seven footer so it's not a bad thing he was looking to pass, but we have seen Plumlee far more aggressive when it comes to finishing at the rim and inviting contact this year because he has improved his left-handed free throw stroke.
Washington and Charlotte have played three times so far this season, with the Wizards taking two of the previous games. Charlotte is holding Porzingis well below his average on the season at 17 points per game in the three match ups. He is also shooting 31% from the field, 15% from three against Charlotte, so they have really done a good job against him. The Hornets will absolutely need this trend to continue if they want to take one on the road, especially if Beal is out and the offense has to run primarily through Porzingis. If they can hold him below his season scoring average and continue to make him inefficient from the floor, the Hornets have a great chance in this one. The battle between the seven footers is the key match up to watch here.
Projected Starting Lineups
| Position | Charlotte Hornets | Washington Wizards |
|---|---|---|
Point Guard | LaMelo Ball | Monte Morris |
Shooting Guard | Terry Rozier | Corey Kispert |
Small Forward | Gordon Hayward | Deni Avdija |
Power Forward | PJ Washington | Daniel Gafford |
Center | Mason Plumlee | Kristaps Porzingis |
