Charlotte Hornets vs Utah Jazz Game Preview
The Hornets are back home on Saturday to kick off their five-game homestand against the Utah Jazz. After back-to-back wins, Charlotte is up to a 22-46 record on the season which is good for 4th-worst in the NBA. The Jazz, a team many predicted to be amongst the worst teams in the NBA prior to the season, sit just three games below .500 at 32-35 and just half of a game out of a play-in spot in the West.
Kelly Oubre has gone back to carrying the Hornets scoring output with LaMelo Ball done for the season, similar to how things went when Ball missed time at the beginning of the season. Oubre has lead the team in scoring in five-straight games, averaging 25.2 PPG over that stretch. He will likely continue to lead the way through the finish line with just 14 games remaining.
When it comes to the surprise success of Utah this season, no player has been more important than Lauri Markkanen. The sixth-year forward struggled to find footing early in his career in Chicago, but found a bit of a resurgence in Cleveland where he was focused more on his perimeter play. Now in Utah, Markkanen is 13th in the NBA in PPG at 25.4, and hosts a remarkably versatile skillset relative to his seven-foot frame.
What to Watch for:
While Mark Williams (questionable - thumb sprain) has show tons of promise with the opportunity given this season, fellow rookie center Walker Kessler of the Jazz has been quite successful in his own right. Kessler's 2.3 blocks per game is good for fifth-best in the NBA, not a feat easily achieved by rookie bigs. Williams will need to be on his physical A-game tonight while matched up against his fellow classmate.
PPG: 117.2 (UTA), 111.8 (CHA)
RPG: 45.1 (UTA), 45.0 (CHA)
APG: 25.6 (UTA), 25.0 (CHA)
FG%: 47.3% (UTA), 45.5% (CHA)
3FG%: 35.8% (UTA), 32.8% (CHA)
FT%: 78.9% (UTA), 74.7% (CHA)
2022-23 Team Leaders:
Minutes: Lauri Markkanen - 34.4 (UTA), Terry Rozier - 35.7 (CHA)
FG%: Walker Kessler - 71.8% (UTA), Mark Williams - 64.1% (CHA)
3FG%: Collin Sexton - 41.0% (UTA), PJ Washington - 34.8% (CHA)
PPG: Lauri Markkanen - 25.4 (UTA), Terry Rozier - 21.3 (CHA)
RPG: Lauri Markkanen - 8.5 (UTA), Mark Williams - 6.4 (CHA)
APG: Jordan Clarkson - 4.4 (UTA), Terry Rozier - 4.9 (CHA)
SPG: Kelly Olynyk - 0.9 (UTA), Kelly Oubre Jr. - 1.4 (CHA)
BPG: Walker Kessler - 2.3 (UTA) , Mark Williams - 1.1 (CHA)
Stat key: PPG - points per game | RPG - rebounds per game | APG - assists per game | SPG - steals per game | BPG- blocks per game
Jazz roster
PG: Collin Sexton (OUT), Kris Dunn, Frank Jackson
SG: Jordan Clarkson (DTD), Talen Horton-Tucker, Johnny Juzang
SF: Lauri Markkanen, Ochai Agbaji, Simone Fontecchio
PF: Kelly Olynyk, Rudy Gay, Juan Toscano-Anderson
C: Walker Kessler, Damian Jones, Udoka Azubuike, Micah Porter
Head coach: Will Hardy
Hornets roster
PG: Terry Rozier, Dennis Smith Jr., Theo Maledon, James Bouknight
SG: Kelly Oubre Jr., Bryce McGowens,
SF: Gordon Hayward, Cody Martin (OUT), Svi Mykhailiuk
PF: P.J. Washington (OUT), JT Thor, Kai Jones
C: Mark Williams, Nick Richards
Head coach: Steve Clifford
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