Charlotte Hornets at New Orleans Pelicans Game Preview
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INJURY REPORT:
HORNETS - OUT: LaMelo Ball (Ankle), Cody Martin (Knee), Mark Williams (Finger)
PELICANS - OUT: Jose Alvarado (Tibia), Zion Williamson (Hamstring)
Game Preview
The Charlotte Hornets take on the New Orleans Pelicans, who started the season at the top of the western conference and are currently 12th in the western conference standings. The Hornets are coming off a six-point win against the Pacers. Meanwhile, the Pelicans steamrolled the Spurs by 35 points on Tuesday.
The Pelicans are half a game behind the 10th seed LA Lakers in the Western Conference. New Orleans is currently on a two-game win streak after defeating the Rockets and Spurs. They have averaged 118 points per game in their last two wins. The Pelicans have been without star player Zion Williamson for over two months now due to a right hamstring injury which has had several setbacks. The previous matchup between the Hornets and Pelicans was in October, the Pelicans won by 12 in the spectrum center and was led by a 30-point performance by Jonas Valanciunas.
KEY MATCHUP: Jonas Valanciunas vs. Nick Richards
Jonas Valanciunas has averaged 16.6 points and 12.4 rebounds per game in his last five games. But Valanciunas had 30 points, 17 rebounds, and four assists the last time the Pelicans faced the Hornets. Nick Richards had 14 points and 17 rebounds against the Pacers on Monday. Richards needs to play at a high level defensively to limit Valanciunas for the Hornets to win against the Pelicans.
| Position | Charlotte Hornets | New Orleans Pelicans |
|---|---|---|
PG | Terry Rozier | C.J. McCollum |
SG | Kelly Oubre | Herb Jones |
SF | Gordon Hayward | Trey Murphy |
PF | P.J. Washington | Brandon Ingram |
C | Nick Richards | Jonas Valanciunas |
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