Can Hornets Get Back on Track in Brooklyn?

Consecutive losses have brought the Bugs back down to earth

Brad Penner-Imagn Images

The NBA moves quickly, and the Charlotte Hornets had to learn that the hard way last week. On Thursday, they rattled off their fifth straight win with an impressive 114-103 trouncing of the New York Knicks.

Just three days later, they had lost both games on the weekend. One close affair against the Philadelphia 76ers, and one disappointing blowout against a Boston Celtics team that was missing three starters.

And after all that, the Hornets remain in 10th place in the Eastern Conference with just seven games left in the season. The Orlando Magic, half a game ahead of Charlotte in 8th, face a tough matchup against the Phoenix Suns tonight. As for the Hornets, they tip off in the Big Apple at 7.30 pm EST.

Tonight's opponent: The Brooklyn Nets (18-57 | 13th in the East)

An uneventful season: The Brooklyn Nets have been about as bad as expected | Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images

Nobody foresaw anything big for the Nets this year. They currently have the youngest NBA team with an average age of 23.8, a third of their roster consisting of rookies.

Understandably, the focus for head coach Jordi Fernández has been mostly on developing his prospects in recent months, while still trying to win as many games as possible.

And as a result, they find themselves in the bottom ten of almost every major statistic. The Nets have the worst and least efficient offense, don't rebound the ball a lot, turn it over in bunches, and don't defend particularly well either.

If you're looking for a standout in Brooklyn's roster who the Hornets should worry about, it would normally be Michael Porter Jr. But the swingman, alongside some other important rotational players, is listed as out.

The Injury Report

Brooklyn Nets: OUT - Michael Porter Jr. (Left Hamstring), Terance Mann (Left Achilles), Egor Dëmin (L Plantar Fascia), Day'Ron Sharpe (L Thumb), Danny Wolf (L Ankle) Probable - Jalen Wilson (Illness)

Charlotte Hornets: Liam McNeeley & Tidjane Salaün (G-League)

Key to the game: Communicate on Defense!

With the waiving of Cam Thomas in early February, Brooklyn's front office rid itself of its only remaining isolation player. Even if you want to count MPJ and Dëmin into that category, they're not going to be playing in this game.

So the Hornets won't need to fear any one player putting up big numbers individually. Instead, the Nets are a very handoff-reliant offense. Even without Sharpe and Wolf, they still have Claxton in their starting lineup to use as a hub.

The longest tenured Net: Nic Claxton has been with Brooklyn ever since they drafted him in 2019 | Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images

When he's on the bench, expect whoever is on the court to try to penetrate and attack the basket. In MPJ's absence, Brooklyn has turned away from taking as many threes and will preferably slash to the paint with one of their many wings.

Frankly, if the Hornets bring their B game tonight, they will win to 99%. Scoring will not be an issue. But they have to bring a base level of intensity defensively. They did not do so against Boston on Sunday.

Communicating during the coverage against handoffs will be crucial. Getting beaten by backdoor cuts or losing track of your assignment off the ball is how you allow a game like this, that should be a blowout win, to become a grind.

Projected Starting Lineups

	Charlotte Hornets	Brooklyn Nets
Point Guard	LaMelo Ball	Nolan Traoré
Shooting Guard	Kon Knueppel	Drake Powell
Small Forward	Brandon Miller	Josh Minott
Power Forward	Miles Bridges	Noah Clowney
Center	Moussa Diabate	Nic Claxton

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