Keys to Beat the Trail Blazers, Warriors and Hawks
By Matt Gorry, hornets.com
Key Matchup vs. Trail Blazers: Al Jefferson vs. LaMarcus Aldridge
Al Jefferson and LaMarcus Aldridge square offin the paint when the Trail Blazers come to town for a pre-Thanksgiving Day showdown… Jefferson heads into the matchup scoring in double figures in 14 of the first 15 games, including nine 20-point performances. The big man leads the Hornets with a 20.7-scoring clip on nearly 50 percent shooting (49.5 percent) to go along with 7.5 boards… Aldridge is the anchor of the top rebounding squad in the NBA, posting 8.8 rebounds, as the Trail Blazers grab 47.7 boards as a team. The All-NBA Third Team selection is also leading the team in points, scoring 22.2 points… Whoever can limit their opponent’s effectiveness on the glass will give his team the best shot at winning.
Key Matchup vs. Warriors: Kemba Walker vs. Stephen Curry
Another marquee point guard matchup headlines Charlotte’s clash with the red-hot Golden State Warriors… Kemba Walker has been dynamic in facilitating the Hornets offense, averaging 14.7 points and 5.0 assists through the first 15 games of the season – both second on the team. Walker has stepped on the glass in 2014-15, bumping up his career rebounding average from 3.8 to 4.8, including a career-high 12 against the Magic… Stephen Curry returns to the Queen City as one of the most exciting players in the game. Curry, who starred at nearby Davidson, is scoring a team-high 22.6 points and dishing out a team-best 7.8 assists through the first dozen games, leading the Warriors to their best start in franchise history at 10-2… Walker has fared well against other top point guard matchups but will have his hands full in Curry’s homecoming.
Key Matchup vs. Hawks: Marvin Williams vs. Paul Millsap
North Carolina product Marvin Williams has been solid in his first season in purple and teal, particularly on the defensive end of the floor. Williams, who is averaging 6.7 points, 3.2 rebounds and 1.1 assists through the opening 15 games, has consistently guarded opposing teams’ bigs and limited their effectiveness… Williams will have his work cut out for him against his former teammate Atlanta’s Paul Millsap. The former Jazz standout is averaging 17.7 points, 8.4 boards and 3.1 assists in his second year in Atlanta and has emerged as one of the Hawks’ most reliable scorers.
Scouting the Hornets (4-11)
The Hornets are riding a six-game slide and continue their brutal Thanksgiving week gauntlet with three more games in four days… Charlotte opened a three-game homestand against elite Western Conference squads on Nov. 24 against the Clippers. The Hornets hung tough in the first half, outscoring Los Angeles 30-25 in the second quarter to head to the locker room only down three (56-53). But the Clips came out of the half on fire, riding a 12-4 spurt to open the third quarter to grab an 11-point advantage (68-57). The lead swelled to as much as 14 points while the Hornets never got closer than six points. The loss spoiled Cody Zeller’s career night of 17 points on 5-of-7 shooting. Al Jefferson scored 16 points and grabbed nine boards, while Kemba Walker added 15 points, six assists, five boards and three steals… The Hornets turn their attention to Portland, which heads into the matchup at 11-3 in the West and winners of eight in a row. Charlotte was a tenth of a second away from upsetting the Trail Blazers on the road in the teams’ first meeting earlier this month but Gary Neal’s game-tying layup at the buzzer was waived off. Lance Stephenson had a monster game with 14 points and 14 rebounds, while Al Jefferson (22 points), Kemba Walker (16), Michael Kidd-Gilchrist (12) and Brian Roberts (12) all finished in double figures.
Scouting the Trail Blazers (11-3)
The Blazers come to town riding a current, NBA-best, eight-game winning streak… Portland is 9-1 this season when scoring 100-or-more points… The Blazers are 6-0 against Eastern Conference opponents this season… Wednesday marks the second and final regular season meeting between Charlotte and Portland this season… In the first game between these two teams, the Trail Blazers rallied from a 23-point deficit to beat the Hornets 102-100 on Nov. 11… The Trail Blazers outscored the Hornets 27-15 in the fourth quarter in this season’s win against Charlotte… Damian Lillard led all scorers with 29 points and made five of his eight 3-pointers against Charlotte on Nov. 11, while Aldridge recorded a double-double with 25 points and 14 rebounds… Lillard has logged at least 20 points in all five of his games played against the Hornets, averaging 23.4 points 42-of-84 shooting (50.0%)… Nicolas Batum was inactive in Portland’s previous game against the Hornets (Right knee contusion)… In their 134-104 victory against Charlotte last season on Jan. 2, 2014, the Trail Blazers tied a franchise mark for 21 3-point field goals. Lillard shot 6-of-6 from beyond the arc, while Wesley Matthews made five of his six attempts from deep… The Blazers lead the all-time series, 35-14, but Charlotte’s last win came on March 22, 2014 when it topped Portland, 124-94, at Time Warner Cable Arena.
Scouting the Warriors (10-2 as of 11/24)
Golden State entered Tuesday’s contest in Miami riding a five-game winning streak and had posted the NBA’s third-best record behind Memphis (12-2) and Toronto (12-2)… At 10-2, the Warriors are off to their best start in the franchise’s 69-year history.. Golden State is 5-1 on the road, its best start away from home since 1991-92, when it started with a 6-1 road record... The Warriors have won 23 of their last 32 road contests dating back to last season… The Warriors are currently on a five game road trip (Oklahoma City, Miami, Orlando, Charlotte, Detroit), their second-longest of the season (longest is six in February-March 2015)... Since 2012-13, they have a record of .500 or better on eight of 11 road trips consisting of three or more games.. The Warriors lead the league in opponents’ field goal percentage (.410) and are second in field goal percentage (.485)…Golden State is tied for first (Boston) in assists with 25.8 helpers per game… The Warriors are grabbing a league-leading 35.8 defensive rebounds per game… Golden State has forced all its opponents to below .500 shooting… Golden State’s field goal percentage (.485) is on pace to be the team’s best marksmanship since 1993-94 (.492), when they led the NBA in that category… The Warriors are 7-0 when holding their opponents below 100 points… In all 12 Warrior games so far, the team with the most assists has won the contest… The Warriors lead the NBA in pace (101.56), which measures the number of possessions per 48 minutes... Golden State also leads the league in true shooting percentage (.583), which is a metric that adjusts for three-pointers and free throws.
Scouting the Hawks (6-5 as 11/24)
The Hawks rank fourth in the NBA in assists at 24.4, dishing out at least 20 assists 10 times, including 25-plus on six occasions. Atlanta is recording assists on 64.4% of its made baskets, third in the league (first in the Eastern Conference). The Hawks are also tied for ninth in the NBA in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.62). Jeff Teague leads the team and is ninth in the league with an average of 6.9 assists… Atlanta is seventh in the NBA in steals at 8.5. Four Hawks are averaging at least 1.0 steal per game – Paul Millsap (2.1, fourth in NBA), Jeff Teague (1.4, t27th), DeMarre Carroll (1.0), Dennis Schröder (1.0), with Thabo Sefolosha (0.9) and Al Horford (0.7) close behind… Atlanta is sixth in the NBA in field goal percentage at .466 and have shot .500 or better from the field four times (3-1). The Hawks have been held under .400 just one time this season ... The Hawks are also 11th in 3-point field goal percentage at .359 and have shot at least .350 from downtown seven times this year. Kyle Korver is third in the league at .567 3FG% and DeMarre Carroll is t29th (.400), while Al Horford is 17th in FG% (.542) and Korver is t32nd (.500)… The Hawks own a 5-1 record at Philips Arena this season, tied for the second-best home mark (with Washington) in the Eastern Conference. Atlanta is undefeated (4-0) at home against Eastern Conference foes… Paul Millsap is the only player in the NBA this year averaging at least 17.0 points, 8.0 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 2.0 steals and 0.9 blocks ... On the year, he’s putting up 17.7 points (35th in NBA), 8.4 rebounds (t20th), 3.1 assists, 2.1 steals (fourth) and 0.9 blocks in 35.1 minutes.