Charlotte Hornets vs Golden State Warriors Game Preview

Hornets look to rebound against the defending champs.

The Hornets return back home as the Golden State Warriors (3-2) visit the Queen City. Golden State has had a full day of rest, while the Hornets are coming off of a tough loss to the Magic in Orlando last night. The Hornets now sit at 2-3 on the season and look to get back to the .500 mark in the early going. The Warriors have only played one game on the road thus far and lost to the Suns 105-134. The Hornets have only played one game at home thus far and lost to the Pelicans 112-124. Last season, these teams split the season series 1-1 as the Hornets were able to win at home, but lose on the road. One positive for the Hornets is that they can forget about their loss against Orlando and focus on their current task at hand with the defending champions. 

The Hornets have held the fort down for the most part without their starting guards LaMelo Ball and Terry Rozier, but last night they showed signs that they might need to get them back soon. The Hornets were leading the league in points per game, but now they've fallen to 7th in that category. The Hornets will likely be without LaMelo Ball, Terry Rozier, and Cody Martin once again. It still appears that fans will have to wait to see LaMelo Ball's season debut. If LaMelo and Terry are unavailable to go again, look for Dennis Smith Jr and Theo Maledon to continue carrying the load. Kelly Oubre will play against his former team as he spent only one season in Golden State.

Let's take a quick look at the Hornets' opponent. The Warriors are healthy for the most part, despite being without Donte DiVincenzo and Andre Iguodala. James Wiseman, who was selected one pick before LaMelo Ball looks to make his debut against the Hornets in Spectrum Center. Last season, in his first contest against Charlotte, he scored 16 points in just 17 minutes. The last time Klay Thompson faced off against the Hornets was in 2019, so it will be the Hornets first look at him in well over 3 years. Steph Curry is having another incredible season so far as he's 8th in the league in points per game averaging 30.8 PPG. Steph always looks forward to his matchup against Charlotte as it is his hometown. The Warriors' bench has averaged 41.6 points per game this season, while the Hornets' bench has averaged 46.2 points per game. The Warriors are always a top passing team and that trend continues as they're second in the NBA in assists per game (29.4). 

What to watch for: 

Halftime Stat: The Hornets are 2-0 when leading at halftime and 0-3 when they trail at halftime. The Warriors are 3-0 when leading at halftime and 0-2 when they trail at halftime. That will be an interesting trend to look out for as both teams tend to play better ahead then they do behind their opponents. 

The Hornets on back-to-backs: Last season the Hornets were 2-13 on back-to-backs under James Borrego. After the loss to Orlando, Clifford had this to say about back-to-backs,  "what your record is in the second night of a back-to-back is one of the more telling statistics of want-to, perseverance, and mental toughness." Let's see if the Hornets can show what Clifford is raving about. 

Warriors defense: Early on this season they have struggled defensively as they're allowing just over 120 points per game, which is very unlike the Warriors. It will be intriguing to see if their defense can dismantle the Hornets' offense, who have scored over 120+ points in three of their five contests. The Warriors have allowed their opponent to score over 125+ points three times in just five games. 

2022-2023 Team Stats

Points Per Game

CHA: 118.2

GSW: 120.8

Points Allowed

CHA: 116.4

GSW: 121.2

Field Goal Percentage

CHA: 47.4%

GSW: 47.9%

Assists Per Game

CHA: 27.2

GSW: 29.4

Rebounds Per Game

CHA: 45.8

GSW: 42.0

Charlotte's 2022-2023 Active Individual Stat Leaders

Points Per Game: Gordon Hayward 19.4 PPG

Assists Per Game: Dennis Smith Jr 5.8 AST

Rebounds Per Game: Nick Richards 7.4 REB

Blocks Per Game: PJ Washington 1.4 BLK

Steals Per Game: Dennis Smith Jr 2.0 STL

Golden State's 2022-2023 Active Individual Stat Leaders

Points Per Game: Steph Curry 30.8 PPG

Assists Per Game: Steph Curry 6.0 AST

Rebounds Per Game: Andrew Wiggins 7.0 REB

Blocks Per Game: Andrew Wiggins 1.2 BLK

Steals Per Game: Andrew Wiggins 1.8 STL

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