The Los Angeles Clippers and Charlotte Hornets are both in adjustment mode, but things seem to be working better for the Clippers as they head into Friday night’s matchup in Charlotte.
The Clippers are coming off a 128-116 victory against the San Antonio Spurs on Wednesday night. They’ve won three of their last four games and are 7-3 in their last 10 games. The offense flowed through the starting unit, with four players scoring over 20 points, including 27 points each from Kawhi Leonard and Norman Powell. Powell has been particularly impressive, posting 20 or more points in 11 of his last 12 games.
The Clippers are continuing to work Leonard back into the flow after a late start to his season. He has a restriction of 28 minutes per game, and coach Tyronn Lue has been saving some of his availability for late in games. James Harden, however, committed six turnovers in the first half against the Spurs, but the Clippers adjusted and performed better in the second half.
On the other hand, the Hornets have lost four of their last five games, including a 104-83 defeat to the Brooklyn Nets on Wednesday. This was their lowest-scoring game of the season, despite Miles Bridges providing 23 points. LaMelo Ball left Monday’s game against the Los Angeles Lakers with an ankle sprain and sat out Wednesday. The Hornets announced that he will be re-evaluated in one week, which is positive news for the oft-injured standout.
The Hornets are also dealing with the season-ending injury to swingman Brandon Miller, and they’ve been without center Mark Williams in recent games. Charlotte is relying more heavily on Bridges, who’s averaging 22.1 points per game over his last nine outings. Moussa Diabate has provided a good lift on the boards.
It’s a return to Charlotte for Clippers forward Nic Batum, who spent five seasons with the Hornets from 2015-2020. He’s averaging a career-low 3.3 points per game, mostly as a reserve, but he managed to score 12 points in the last game, matching his season-high total.
This game was originally scheduled for January 11 but was postponed due to wildfires in the Los Angeles area. It will be made up on March 16.
