Charlotte Hornets vs Brooklyn Nets New Year's Eve Game Preview

INJURY REPORT:

HORNETS - QUESTIONABLE: Dennis Smith Jr (Ankle) OUT: Kelly Oubre Jr (Hand) Cody Martin (Knee)

NETS - PROBABLE: Edmond Summer (Thumb) Ben Simmons (Illness) OUT: Joe Harris (Knee)

GAME PREVIEW: The Charlotte Hornets take on the Brooklyn Nets for the second game of their four-game homestand and the last game of 2022. The Hornets started their homestand on the right track with a win over the Thunder on Thursday. Brooklyn is on a 10-game winning streak currently as Jacque Vaughn has the team trending toward the first seed in the Eastern Conference since taking over for Steve Nash, who was fired on November 1st. The Nets are on their third and final game of the road trip as they narrowly escaped the Hawks last time out. The Nets have had two full days of rest after their last game was played on Wednesday. Brooklyn has been the hottest team in the NBA over the past 15 games as they hold a 14-1 record over that stretch. The Hornets on the other hand have won just 10 games all season in 36 contests. These two teams have played each other twice already this season with Brooklyn winning both. Brooklyn has escaped the Hornets by a total of just 10 points combined in the two games. The Hornets will look to get one final win before the calendar turns another year.

IMPORTANT NOTE: LaMelo Ball has recorded 10 straight games with 20 or more points. Ball could tie Kemba Walker for the most 20-point games in franchise history if he records yet another 20-point game tonight, which would give him his 11th straight 20th-plus-point performance. Walker did so in 2016 from October 28th to November 19th.

LaMelo is also just one triple-double away from breaking the Hornets franchise record for most triple-doubles in Hornets history. LaMelo is currently tied with Anthony Mason on the triple-doubles list. LaMelo came up just one assist shy of breaking franchise history last time out with a 27, 10, 9 performance.

KEY MATCHUP: Nic Claxton vs Mason Plumlee/Mark Williams

The center matchup down low will be fun to watch all night long between these squads. Nic Claxton has been arguably the Nets' third-best player this season as he's been holding it down in the center position for Brooklyn all year. He's averaging 11.9 points, 8.5 rebounds, and 2.4 blocks per game. Claxton has been getting it done on both sides of the ball and he's been a huge reason why Brooklyn has had so much success. Mason Plumlee has been a pleasant surprise for the Hornets this year as he's averaging 10.2 points and 9.2 rebounds per game. Mark Williams has got his first real opportunity for playing time over the last three games and he's been really productive. Last game out against the Thunder, the rookie center recorded 17 points, 13 rebounds, 2 blocks, 2 steals, and shot 100% from the field. Williams and Plumlee should give a good fight to Nic Claxton, who has been a vital part of what the Nets have been doing this year.

Position	Hornets	Nets
Point Guard	LaMelo Ball	Kyrie Irving
Shooting Guard	Terry Rozier	Ben Simmons
Small Forward	Gordon Hayward	Royce O'Neale
Power Forward	PJ Washington	Kevin Durant
Center	Mason Plumlee	Nic Claxton

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