Hornets preview: With Cleveland Cavaliers in town, where is Charlotte in playoff chase?
7 p.m., Spectrum Center
TV: SportSouth. Radio: WFNZ-AM 610.
Projected Starters
Hornets | Cavs | |||||
Pos, Player | PPG | RPG | Pos, Player | PPG | RPG | |
F, M. Kidd-Gilchrist | 9.0 | 7.2 | F, L. James | 26.0 | 8.3 | |
F, M. Williams | 11.5 | 6.4 | F, K. Love | 19.6 | 11.0 | |
C, C. Zeller | 10.5 | 6.5 | C, T. Thompson | 7.9 | 9.4 | |
G, N. Batum | 15.2 | 6.6 | G, J. Smith | 8.1 | 2.5 | |
G, K. Walker | 22.7 | 5.5 apg | G, K. Irving | 25.6 | 5.8 apg | |
Matchup to Watch
Kemba Walker vs. Kyrie Irving: Two of the NBA’s more dynamic, resourceful and clutch point guards face off.
Observations
▪ LeBron James leads the Cavs in scoring (26.0), assists (8.8) and steals (1.3).
▪ The Cavs go for a four-game season sweep against the Hornets. Included is a 121-109 victory in Charlotte on New Year’s Eve.
Tap-ins
▪ The Hornets need to contain James early – he scored 10 points in the first quarter of that game Dec. 31 and Charlotte never recovered.
▪ The Hornets would lose tiebreakers to two of the three teams ahead of them (Chicago and Detroit) in pursuit of the final spot in the Eastern Conference playoffs, so add one game to any calculation made to what it would take to catch them. The Hornets are 2-1 against eighth-place Miami, with a game left in Charlotte on April 5. The Hornets were 3.5 games behind the Heat before Miami’s game Thursday against Phoenix and 1.5 games behind Chicago and Detroit, who are tied for ninth.
Did you know?
The Hornets were 5-0 in overtime games last season, and are 0-6 this season.
David Scott
This story was originally published March 23, 2017 at 4:24 PM with the headline "Hornets preview: With Cleveland Cavaliers in town, where is Charlotte in playoff chase?."