Charlotte Looks to Rebound Versus Utah
INJURY REPORT:
HORNETS: QUESTIONABLE - LaMelo Ball (Ankle), OUT - Mark Williams (Back), Gordon Hayward (Calf)
JAZZ: NONE
GAME PREVIEW:
The Hornets come into this matchup on a two-game slide with a 138-104 loss to the Rockets on Friday. The Jazz, on the other hand, have won seven out of their last 10 games and are sitting at .500 with a 23-23 record.
The Hornets have looked rather bleak after Terry Rozier was traded to Miami. To make matter's worse, LaMelo Ball may not play tonight as he continues to deal with ankle soreness. Ball is coming off two really rough games where against Detroit, he shot just 6-21 and 1-8 from three with 4 turnovers, while fouling out of the ball game. Then, versus Houston, he got into early foul trouble and scored just 15 points on 6-16 shooting.
A player to watch for the Hornets is Brandon Miller. The rookie had four consecutive 20+ point performances prior to last night's game. With Ball likely out of the lineup, Miller should be the focal point of the offense. Miller scored just five points in the loss to Houston as he struggled to get going, similar to Ball with early foul trouble.
The Jazz have really turned their season around in a positive way after looking like they were primed for a top draft pick early on in the season with a 7-16 record. Utah has compiled a 16-7 following the rough start.
Lauri Markkanen and Collin Sexton have been terrific this season for Utah. In Sexton's last 10 games, he's averaging 23.2 points and 5.7 assists, while shooting highly efficient at 55.3% from the field and 51.1% from three. Markkanen most likely won't be named an all-star this season, but he sure is playing like one, averaging 25.1 points and 9.7 rebounds, while shooting 50.3% from the field and 44.4% from three in his last 10 games.
Key Matchup: Miles Bridges vs Lauri Markkanen
Miles Bridges' name has been heavily involved in trade rumors recently and the Jazz have been one of the teams rumored to be interested. Bridges will have his work cut out for him with Markkanen tonight. Bridges has had a really solid season for the Hornets this year with 20.8 points per game, along with 7.1 rebounds per game. In the month of January, Bridges is averaging over 23 points per game. The matchup between Markkanen and Bridges will be one to watch tonight in Charlotte.
| Position | Hornets | Jazz |
|---|---|---|
Point Guard | Ish Smith | Kris Dunn |
Shooting Guard | Brandon Miller | Collin Sexton |
Small Forward | Cody Martin | Simone Fontecchio |
Power Forward | Miles Bridges | John Collins |
Center | Nick Richards | Lauri Markkanen |
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