Charlotte Hornets vs Washington Wizards Game Preview
The Charlotte Hornets return home Friday to host the Washington Wizards, the beginning of a three-game homestand. Charlotte had no chance in their most recent game against the red-hot Celtics who drained ten three-pointers in the first quarter along. They would go on to make 23 in the game, ultimately downing the Hornets 140-105.
Remove that game and the Hornets have played much better basketball of late. They won two straight against the Sixers and T-Wolves while also nearly upending the Cavs in overtime and played another tight game against the Wizards.
As for Washington, don't be fooled by the results of their last five games. They may be 1-4 in that stretch, but they've played some stiff competition in Miami (2x), Boston, Minnesota, and Brooklyn.
They key in this one for Charlotte is to limit Kyle Kuzma offensively. When he scores north of 25 points, they've been virtually impossible to beat. Bradley Beal and Kristaps Porzingis pose their own challenges, but Kuzma, believe it or not, is the guy the Hornets must have full attention on.
The Hornets will get an important piece of the starting lineup back tonight as Terry Rozier returns after missing the game in Boston due to an illness. Although his shooting percentages are down significantly from a year ago, he is still good for roughly 20 points a night. That's just something this young Hornets bench can't replace.
Charlotte is 0-2 this season against the Wizards, but both games were fairly tight throughout. Poor three-point shooting prevented them from being able to steal one of those games, if not both. In the first two matchups, Charlotte shot a combined 13/64 from beyond the arc. Washington currently ranks 25th in the NBA in opponent three-point percentage (36.8%), so the shots will be there, they just need to knock them down.
2020-21 Team Stats
PPG: 110.4 (WAS), 109.2 (CHA)
RPG: 44.2 (WAS), 45.5 (CHA)
APG: 24.9 (WAS), 25.3 (CHA)
FG%: 47.2% (WAS), 44.6% (CHA)
3FG%: 34.1% (WAS), 32% (CHA)
FT%: 77.2% (WAS), 72.7% (CHA)
2020-21 Team Leaders (Returners only):
Minutes: Bradley Beal - 36.8 (WAS), Terry Rozier - 37.2 (CHA)
FG%: Bradley Beal - 52.2% (WAS), Nick Richards - 61% (CHA)
3FG%: Corey Kispert - 42.3% (WAS), Gordon Hayward - 38.1% (CHA)
PPG: Bradley Beal - 23.6 (WAS), Terry Rozier - 20.5 (CHA)
RPG: Kristaps Porzingis - 8.7 (WAS), Mason Plumlee - 8.9 (CHA)
APG: Bradley Beal - 5.6 (WAS), Dennis Smith Jr. - 5.7 (CHA)
SPG: Bradley Beal - 1.3 (WAS), Dennis Smith Jr. - 1.8 (CHA)
Stat key: PPG - points per game | RPG - rebounds per game | APG - assists per game | SPG - steals per game
Wizards roster
PG: Monte Morris, Jordan Goodwin, Devon Dotson, Johnny Davis
SG: Bradley Beal, Corey Kispert, Will Barton
SF: Deni Avdija, Anthony Gill
PF Kyle Kuzma, Rui Hachimura (OUT)
C Kristaps Porzingis, Taj Gibson, Daniel Gafford, Vernon Carey Jr., Isaiah Todd
Head coach: Wes Unseld Jr.
Hornets roster
PG: LaMelo Ball (OUT), Dennis Smith Jr. (OUT), Theo Maledon
SG: Terry Rozier, Kelly Oubre Jr., James Bouknight
SF: Gordon Hayward (OUT), Jalen McDaniels, Bryce McGowens
PF: P.J. Washington, Kai Jones, JT Thor
C: Mason Plumlee, Nick Richards, Mark Williams
Head coach: Steve Clifford
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