Two teams with a combined two wins in their past 31 games will clash when the Charlotte Hornets visit the Washington Wizards on Thursday night.
Charlotte Hornets:
- Recent Form: Lost 10 of their past 11 games.
- LaMelo Ball: Returned for Monday’s loss to the Philadelphia 76ers after missing seven games with a calf injury. He scored 15 points and dished out 11 assists in 26 minutes. Ball has five double-doubles this season and is fourth in the NBA with an average of 30.2 points per game. He is attempting almost 13 three-pointers per game and is committing a career-high 4.4 turnovers.
- Injury Update: Just as the Hornets assembled their projected starting five for the season, they lost second-leading scorer Brandon Miller (21.5 points per game) to a sprained ankle against the Sixers. His status for Thursday night is unclear.
Washington Wizards:
- Season Struggles: After a dismal 15-win season last year, the Wizards have lost 19 of their past 20 games and are on pace for just 11 wins. Despite being in a full-on rebuild, coach Brian Keefe remains positive.
- Key Players:
- Jordan Poole: Taken 80 shots over the past five games and is the team’s leading scorer at 20.3 points per game.
- Bilal Coulibaly: Second-year starter has scored 63 points in his past three games, shaking off a recent shooting slump.
- Alex Sarr: No. 2 overall pick in this year’s draft has back-to-back games with 14 points, three points above his season average.
- Injury Report: Washington is without Kyle Kuzma, who hasn’t played since Thanksgiving due to a rib injury. There are rumors of Kuzma being on the trade block. Keefe stated he won’t blame injuries for the team’s performance.
Team Stats:
- Wizards Defense: Giving up the most points per game in the NBA at 123.
- Hornets Offense: Struggling offensively, ranking 28th in the league with just 106.7 points per game and last in field goal percentage (42.9%).
- Wizards Rebounding: Washington ranks last in the NBA in rebounding and second-to-last in three-point percentage (31.4%).
