Hornets Gameday: at Utah Jazz
9 p.m., EnergySolutions Arena, Salt Lake City
TV: Fox Sports Southeast Radio: WFNZ-AM 610.
Projected Starters
Hornets | Jazz | |||||
Pos., Player | PPG | RPG | Pos., Player | PPG | RPG | |
G K. Walker | 20.6 | 4.2 | G TBD | |||
G. J. Lin | 12.7 | 2.7 | G R. Hood | 13.6 | 3.2 | |
F P. Hairston | 6.4 | 2.8 | F G. Hayward | 19.8 | 5.0 | |
F. M. Williams | 9.7 | 6.6 | F TBD | |||
C S. Hawes | 5.9 | 4.3 | C R. Gobert | 9.2 | 10.1 | |
Matchup to Watch
Gordon Hayward vs. P.J. Hairston: The Hornets signed Hayward to a maximum offer sheet two summers ago that the Jazz matched. He has lived up to that status as a versatile scorer/playmaker.
Observations
▪ Jazz point guard Raul Neto suffered a concussion in Monday’s home loss to the Detroit Pistons and is out. Trey Burke may return to the starting lineup in Neto’s absence. It’s also possible Derrick Favors, coming back from lower back pain, will replace Trey Liles as a starter.
▪ The Hornets beat the Kings in double-overtime in Sacramento on Monday night to start a four-game West Coast trip. The Hornets have won three in a row and climbed to ninth in the Eastern Conference standings Monday.
Tap-ins
▪ The Hornets played in Sacramento without Nic Batum and Jeremy Lamb (toe sprains) and Cody Zeller (shoulder sprain). Batum and Lamb are both listed as questionable for this game.
▪ All the injuries thrust Troy Daniels into the rotation, and he responded with 28 points versus the Kings.
Did you know?
Maybe it’s the altitude or perhaps something else, but the Hornets have lost eight in a row to the Jazz in Salt Lake City. The last victory in Utah was March 1, 2006.
Rick Bonnell
This story was originally published January 26, 2016 at 8:11 PM with the headline "Hornets Gameday: at Utah Jazz."