Charlotte Hornets center Dwight Howard is in a serious 3-game slump

The reversal of fortune for Charlotte Hornets center Dwight Howard has been swift of late.

Howard had a spectacular debut in his first six games as a Hornet, after the June trade that acquired him from the Atlanta Hawks. Howard grabbed 15 or more rebounds in each of those games, including a 22-rebound performance against the Milwaukee Bucks.

In those same six games, Howard averaged 15.7 points and 1.8 blocks. He made 37 of 60 shots from the field (61.7 percent). The Hornets went 3-3 in those games.

Over the past three games – all losses – Howard totaled 27 rebounds. He averaged 8.3 points and 0.67 blocks. He made nine of 23 shots from the field (39 percent).

Howard certainly isn’t the only Hornet under-performing in the current six-game losing streak (they play the Los Angeles Clippers at Spectrum Center Saturday night). However, his slump is hard to miss.

Asked pre-game if there is any pattern to Howard’s recent struggles, coach Steve Clifford said nothing has changed "schematically" in how teams guard him.

"He’s still getting more one-on-one coverage," Clifford said.

Walker will play

▪ The Hornets listed point guard Kemba Walker as questionable to play versus the Clippers Saturday, with a sprained left wrist. The team had a late afternoon walk-through, and Walker (who scored 47 points Friday in the road loss to the Chicago Bulls) was cleared to play.

"He’s sore a little bit, but he’s fine," Clifford said of Walker, expected to play with a protective wrap.

▪ Nic Batum, back from a six-week recovery from a torn elbow ligament, played 26 minutes in Chicago. Clifford said that’s about all he can handle right now, between him getting back in game shape and the Hornets’ busy schedule (six games in nine nights).

"He was really tired," Clifford said of the 58 total minutes Batum played in back-to-back nights. "We’ve got to keep him at a pace here, with all these games, where he can play every night."

▪ Former South Carolina star Sindarius Thornwell, the 48^th pick in June’s draft, is starting for the Clippers. Coach Doc Rivers said Thornwell, a 6-foot-5 guard, will eventually be an elite NBA defender.

"He’s an above-average to good defender right now, and he doesn’t know what he’s doing yet," Rivers said of Thornwell.

"Just tough; his toughness spilled out to his teammates" at South Carolina in a Final Four run, Rivers said, "and you can see that as a rookie."

This story was originally published November 18, 2017 at 6:52 PM with the headline "Charlotte Hornets center Dwight Howard is in a serious 3-game slump."