Preview: Spurs Face Red-Hot Hornets as Winter Storm Changes Start Time

The San Antonio Spurs will have a little bit less time to prepare for the red-hot Hornets, with a winter storm in Charlotte bumping up the start time to Saturday morning.

To beat the snow, the game will tip off at 11 a.m. central time. To beat the Hornets, San Antonio will need their best. Charlotte is outscoring their opponents by a league-leading 12 points per 100 possessions in January, sporting the top offense and fifth-best defense in that stretch.

The Hornets have beaten the Thunder, Lakers, Nuggets, Magic, and 76ers during this 10-6 stretch. They outscored their opponents on the road by 151, tying the 2010 Heat for the best road point differential in a calendar month in NBA history according to ESPN.

Charlotte is riding a five-game win streak, and if they beat the Spurs on Saturday morning it will be the first six-game winning streak for the franchise since March of 2010. To put it another way, a child born the last time those things happened would be old enough to drive now.

All this to say the Hornets are playing some spectacular basketball at the moment. LaMelo Ball is directing the offense well, Brandon Miller has scored 20+ in nine consecutive games, and sharpshooting rookie Kon Knueppel is coming off a career-high 34 points and 8 made 3-pointers in a win over Dallas.

This dangerous scoring attack will provide a true test for San Antonio's defense, which they've used to survive a persistent scoring drought this month. The Spurs have struggled with physicality and rushed themselves at times, but made strides in both areas during a 16-point comeback on the road in Houston.

If the Spurs win this game and their next one against the Magic they'll move to 34-15 and guarantee that head coach Mitch Johnson will represent San Antonio at All-Star Weekend.

The rookie class became a topic of conversation Friday in the wake of Knueppel's heroics, with some imagining a parallel universe in which San Antonio selected the Duke product over Dylan Harper. Anyone doing a redraft 50 games into their careers is about two years too early, but it might provide Harper with some bulletin-board material. He's coming off a strong game in Houston where he put up 16 points on 8-11 shooting to go with 4 rebounds and 3 assists.

When

11:00 a.m. CT (Moved up from 2:00 p.m.)

Where

Spectrum Center, Charlotte, NC

How to Watch

Prime Video, KENS 5

Injury Report

Hornets:

Mason Plumlee: OUT (groin)
Grant Williams: DAY-TO-DAY (injury management)

Spurs:

Jeremy Sochan: OUT (quad)
Julian Champagnie: Not on injury report (eye)

Champagnie got hit in the face late during San Antonio's win in Houston. He has played every game for the Spurs this year after doing all 82 last season. It looks like he's good to go for this one, and will make it 150 in a row.

Sochan has reportedly been given permission to explore trade options ahead of the February 5 NBA trade deadline.