Hornets look to build on historic victory in clash against the Clippers

A five-game road trip continues on Monday for the Hornets (14-25), this time heading to Los Angeles to take on the Clippers (15-23). This will be the second and final meeting between the teams this season, with the Clippers taking the game in Charlotte by a score of 131-116.

The Clippers' victory in November continued what has been an extremely lopsided series record as of late. The series has now seen 15-straight victories by the Clippers, the longest-active regular season win streak any team holds over another in the NBA.

The last Hornets victory came in a November 2017 matchup where Kemba Walker led the team in scoring with 26 points, and center Dwight Howard put together a 16-point, 16-rebound double-double. Mason Plumlee and Pat Connaughton are the only players on the Hornets roster who were in the NBA at the time.

The Hornets enter the matchup on the heels of the largest victory in franchise history, a 150-95 victory over the Utah Jazz. Nine different players hit double figures in scoring, led by Tre Mann’s 20 points off the bench.

The team has mixed some of the strongest victories in franchise history with two very tight losses recently, resulting in a 3-2 record over the last five games with a +92 point differential.

Normally characterized by offensive success, the Charlotte defense has more than carried enough weight as of late. The all-around success has resulted in Charlotte sporting the second-best offensive rating in the NBA and fifth-best defensive rating, combining for a net rating of +15.6 that far and away tops the league since the New Year.

On the Clippers' side of things, there has been notable progress in the win column as of late. After beginning the season 6-21, the team has rattled off a league-best nine wins over its last eleven games.

A well-rounded approach has led to the Clippers sporting a +10.0 net rating over those 11 games, just barely edging out the Hornets +9.9 over the same time frame.

Slow and steady characterizes the Clippers' approach over their stretch of recent success, prioritizing good looks at the basket over a volume-based approach. No team has averaged fewer than the Clippers' 94.05 possessions per 48 minutes over their last eleven games. At the same time, there is no team that tops the 62.8% true shooting put forward by the team over the same stretch.

Key Matchup - Ball-Dominant Stars

Each and every player in the rotation matters in the NBA, but some teams- by design or by necessity- put more on the shoulders of a player or two than others.

Between LaMelo Ball & Brandon Miller for the Hornets, and James Harden & Kawhi Leonard for the Clippers, both teams are sporting a pair of players with a top-25 usage rate in the NBA among players with at least 300 minutes played. The only other teams with this distinction are the Nets and the 76ers.

These offenses are initiated by, funneled through, and are reliant on these pairs in a way that few other teams are. For one team to get a leg up, either inhibiting the opponent's stars or finding space to rely on the rest of the rotation will be key in finding victory.

INJURY REPORT

Hornets: OUT Mason Plumlee (Groin); QUESTIONABLE Pat Connaughton (Illness), Collin Sexton (Hamstring), Miles Bridges (Knee)

Clippers: OUT Bradley Beal (Hip), Derrick Jones Jr. (Knee), Bogdan Bogdanovic (Hamstring); QUESTIONABLE Kawhi Leondard (Ankle)

Projected Starting Lineups

Position	Charlotte Hornets	Los Angeles Clippers
Point Guard	LaMelo Ball	James Harden
Shooting Guard	Brandon Miller	Kris Dunn
Small Forward	Kon Knueppel	Kawhi Leonard
Power Forward	Miles Bridges	John Collins
Center	Moussa Diabaté	Ivica Zubac

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