Charlotte Hornets at Cleveland Cavaliers Game Preview
The Charlotte Hornets' inaugural game of the 2021-22 NBA season was nothing short of an absolute thriller. From trailing by more than 20 points in the third quarter to going on a 24-0 run, Hornets fans went through a roller coaster of emotions. P.J. Washington's game-winning free throws and defensive stop to close the game out sealed the game, leaving the Spectrum Center louder than it has been in recent memory.
Despite missing Terry Rozier, the team's leading scorer over the past two seasons, the Hornets still managed to pull out the win thanks to superb performances from the talents of LaMelo Ball and Gordon Hayward.
Charlotte heads on the road Friday for the first time this season, traveling to Cleveland to face a young Cavaliers squad.
The Cavs are projected to be one of the league's worst teams but the points of strength on their roster are where Charlotte is the weakest- that is at the center position. Cleveland has a handful of talented bigs that will pose problems against the Hornets all night by way of the lengthy shot-blocking Jarrett Allen, Evan Mobley, Lauri Markkanen, and the veteran, Kevin Love.
We saw Mason Plumlee's inability to pose any sort of resistance to the Pacers' bigs on the interior Wednesday, allowing Indiana to start 7-8 inside the paint. Tonight, let’s hope Plumlee looks a bit more in-tune. To his defense, the Duke product missed time during the preseason due to the NBA’s health and safety protocols so it was apparent he was shaking off some rust. Let’s also not be victims to one-game samples either and hold out some hope that Plumlee can be an upgrade over Cody Zeller.
If Charlotte can limit Cleveland’s interior pressure and protect the paint, they should have a legitimate chance of starting the season out 2-0.
Cleveland is coming off of a 132-122 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies on Wednesday. Jarrett Allen posted a video game-esque stat line, shooting a perfect 11-11 from the floor, leading to 25 points to go along with four rebounds, three blocks, and three steals.
The Cavs’ young guard tandem in Darius Garland and Collin Sexton were subpar in their season debut's, combining for just 30 points on 12-28 shooting. Despite Garland’s rough shooting night, he added 12 assists as he continued to prove he can be a competent quarterback to an NBA offense.
LaMelo Ball and Kelly Oubre’s length - if Rozier can’t play Friday - should help keep Cleveland’s guards in check throughout the game but either one is surely capable of scoring 30 on any given night.
The most unexpected development from the Hornets’ win Wednesday was Gordon Hayward’s heavy workload.
James Borrego and Hayward himself both noted throughout the week that due to his time missed with COVID-19 that it would take some time for Hayward’s conditioning to return to 100 percent. The Butler product started the game off slow Wednesday but wound up playing 35 minutes, erupting for 27 points, scoring 10 clutch points in the final four minutes en route to the win.
Following the win, Hayward said he definitely needed to get his legs back but a few dunks and layups prior to halftime helped him lock-in and get back into the flow of an NBA game. It had been over six months since Hayward had played in an NBA game after a foot injury ended his first season in Charlotte. Borrego and Gordon were going to play his conditioning by ear and see how he felt in live-action and it was obvious that Hayward was capable of a 30-plus minute workload.
With Rozier being listed as questionable heading into Friday’s game, having a healthy, conditioned, Gordon Hayward is a much-needed necessity for Charlotte as they wait for their $97 million man to return to action.
To conclude the preview, Charlotte should feel quite optimistic heading into Friday - even if Terry Rozier is inactive. When LaMelo Ball plays like he did Wednesday - 31 points, nine rebounds, seven assists, and seven made three-pointers - and Gordon Hayward posts 20-plus points, the Hornets have a chance at beating almost any team in the league. James Borrego’s squad just needs to limit the Cavs’ bigs and prevent big scoring outbursts from Darius Garland and Collin Sexton and it should be smooth sailing.
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