- Charlotte Hornets at Cleveland Cavaliers (Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse)
- Wednesday, Dec. 23 at 7 PM EST
- Fox Sports Southeast and WFNZ 610 AM
- Last time out: Charlotte won, 109-106 on Jan. 2, 2020 (in Cleveland)
Terry Rozier Right at Home in Cleveland
The Youngstown, OH native shined brightly in Cleveland last year, putting up 32.5 points on 47% shooting (48% from three; 13-of-27), 4.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 2.5 steals as the Hornets went 1-1 at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. Rozier averaged a team-leading 17.0 points on 50% shooting and 55% from deep (12-of-22) this preseason and will look for a strong start to his sixth NBA season with another big-time performance against the hometown Cavaliers.
Controlling Andre Drummond on the Boards
The NBA’s reigning leading rebounder in Andre Drummond averaged 15.0 points and 20.0 boards (4.6 offensive) in three games against Charlotte last season as a member of the Detroit Pistons, tied for his highest rebounding average against any single opponent. Defensive rebounding has been a major area of emphasis throughout training camp and the preseason for the Hornets and they couldn’t have asked for a better individual to see on Opening Night in order to start turning this weakness into a strength.
Taking Advantage of Cleveland’s Turnovers
The Hornets finished the preseason ranked 21st in the league in turnover percentage (18.3%), with tonight’s opponent rounding out the field in last place at a whopping 23.9%. Even with the high giveaway rate, Cleveland also ranked just 26th in pace (100.63) and 29th in points allowed off turnovers (28.8). Charlotte needs to be disruptive on defense, push the pace in transition and capitalize on extra possessions surrendered by the Cavaliers.
Preview Quote
“We’re super excited. It’s all happening really fast, but I think as players, we’re all happy that training camp is over and that we can move on to real games here. It’s not going to be perfect by any means. There’s a lot we need to improve on, but we’ll find that out as we get going. For us, we have to focus on competing, playing hard every night, playing how Coach wants us to play and getting better.” – Gordon Hayward
Final Thoughts
Charlotte received good news right before taking off yesterday afternoon as it sounds like Gordon Hayward will play tonight after suffering an avulsion fracture to his right fifth finger in last Monday’s preseason game. Playing their first regular season contest in over nine months will undoubtedly be exciting for the Hornets and they’ll need to stay focused on themselves and not get too caught up in any emotion in order to start the campaign off with a win.
Additional Notes: The Hornets were actually scheduled to host the Cavaliers on Friday, March 13, 2020 before NBA play was suspended two days prior… This will be the fourth time the Hornets play the Cavaliers in their season opener (1988, 2001 and 2008; 1-2)… Charlotte’s last two season openers were both at home and decided by just one point each (1-1).