Can Charlotte Beat a Spurs Team With No Wembanyama?
INJURY REPORT:
HORNETS: QUESTIONABLE- Bryce McGowens (L Hip Flexor), Brandon Miller (Lower Back), Nick Richards (R Ankle) OUT - Mark Williams (Back), Gordon Hayward (Calf)
SPURS: QUESTIONABLE - Zach Collins (L Ankle Sprain) OUT- Victor Wembanyama (Rest)
GAME PREVIEW:
Many regular attendees has the Spurs game circled on their calendar in hop of seeing Victory Wembanyama play first hand. Unfortunately, they will be disappointed as Wemby "Can't play both ends" of a back to back according to Greg Popovich. The reason Wembanyama chose to play against the Wizards is likely tied to wanting to play against his friend and former Mets 92 teammate Bilal Coulibaly, who was selected 7th overall in the 2023 Draft.
LaMelo Ball's return has yet to spark the Hornets into life despite Ball playing at a reasonable level after two months out with injury. The bad luck continues to pour in for Charlotte with Nick Richards questionable after an ankle sprain, even if he is good to go expect him to be limited. The Spurs aren't blessed with interior size themselves, with Collins listed as questionable Popovich could lean heavily on undrafted second year player Dominic Barlow, aka the Hornets Summer League killer. Clifford will likely opt for a lot of PJ Washington at centre minutes, especially if Brandon Miller is able to return to the lineup.
For Charlotte, this is a golden opportunity to pick up a confidence boosting win and put a stop to the past two weeks of noncompetitive basketball which resulted in a players only meeting. The potential return of Brandon Miller would provide a boost ahead of a crunch match-up between two of the NBA's bottom dwellers.
KEY MATCH-UP: Jeremy Sochan vs Miles Bridges
In their last match-up Sochan put the clamps on Bridges, holding him to just 14 points on 4-13 shooting. Bridges was stonewalled on several drive attempts and looked flustered by Sochan's strength and ability to stay with his drives. Charlotte need their 3rd leading scorer to attack the paint in order to force San Antonio into defensive rotation, Bridges will need a bounce back game.
Projected Starting Fives
| San Antonio Spurs | Charlotte Hornets | |
|---|---|---|
Point Guard | Tre Jones | LaMelo Ball |
Shooting Guard | Devin Vassell | Terry Rozier |
Small Forward | Julian Champagnie | Brandon Miller |
Power Forward | Jeremy Sochan | Miles Bridges |
Center | Dominick Barlow | Nick Richards |
