Hornets Gameday at Washington Wizards: Will John Wall be Kemba Walker’s kryptonite?
7 p.m., Verizon Center
TV: Fox Sports Southeast. Radio: WFNZ-AM 610.
Projected Starters
Hornets | Wizards | |||||
Pos, Player | PPG | RPG | Pos, Player | PPG | RPG | |
F, M. Kidd Gilchrist | 9.2 | 7.1 | F, O. Porter | 13.6 | 6.4 | |
F, M. Williams | 11.5 | 6.6 | F, M. Morris | 13.8 | 6.5 | |
C, Cody Zeller | 10.5 | 6.5 | C, M. Gortat | 10.7 | 10.6 | |
G, N. Batum | 15.1 | 6.4 | G, B. Beal | 23.1 | 3.1 | |
G, K. Walker | 23.1 | 5.5 apg | G, J. Wall | 23.2 | 10.7 apg | |
Matchup to Watch
Kemba Walker vs. John Wall: Two of Walker’s eight worst shooting performances of the season have come when matched up against Wall.
Observations
▪ With 802 assists, Wall, who’s from Raleigh, has set a Wizards single-season franchise record. Rodney Strickland tallied 801 assists during the 1997-98 season.
▪ In 19 career games against Washington, Nic Batum has averaged 6.9 rebounds, his most against any NBA team.
Tap-ins
▪ Washington holds a 2-1 edge in the season series against the Hornets. Both teams have split the series at two games apiece in each of the past two seasons.
▪ Having made 229 3-pointers this season, Walker is 15 shy of breaking Jason Richardson’s franchise record of 243, which he set during the 2007-08 season.
Did you know?
The Wizards clinched the franchise’s first division title in 38 years with a win over the Los Angeles Lakers last Tuesday, snapping the longest division title drought in the four major North American pro sports leagues.
Pat James
This story was originally published April 3, 2017 at 6:01 PM with the headline "Hornets Gameday at Washington Wizards: Will John Wall be Kemba Walker’s kryptonite?."