By Sam Perley, hornets.com
Tune In
These games can be seen on FOX Sports Southeast and can be heard on WFNZ or the Official Charlotte Hornets app.
Key Matchup vs. Bulls: Al Jefferson vs. Pau Gasol It will be a battle of two of the NBA’s premier post players when Al Jefferson and the Hornets welcome Pau Gasol and the Chicago Bulls to Charlotte on Tuesday night… Jefferson seems to be rounding into vintage form after missing 17 games last season because of injuries. After a significant offseason weight loss that has noticeably improved his on-court movement, Jefferson posted back-to-back double-doubles in two-consecutive games against the Hawks from Oct. 30-Nov. 1. While being primarily guarded by Atlanta’s All-Stars, Paul Millsap and Al Horford, Jefferson averaged 10.0 points, 10.5 rebounds and 2.0 blocks over the two-game stretch… The shifty Jefferson will get a chance to prove himself against arguably the best center in the league in Pau Gasol, who is coming off his fourth season of All-NBA Honors since 2008. Gasol is picking up where he left off last season when he started the All-Star Game with averages of 16.0 points on 53.8 percent shooting, 9.7 rebounds and 1.7 blocks in last three games for Chicago…Now in his 15th NBA season, the 35-year-old Spaniard continues to get better with age after averaging 18.5 points and a career-high 11.8 rebounds last season on his way to a career-best and NBA-high 54 double-doubles. Since the 2004-05 NBA season, Memphis’ Zach Randolph is the only player other than Jefferson and Gasol to average a minimum of 16 points and eight rebounds for at least nine NBA seasons… Like Jefferson, Gasol is an extremely talented scorer in the post who does most of his damage via craftiness and creativity and less by brute force which should provide fans with an entertaining and exciting showdown between two of the NBA’s best in Charlotte on Tuesday night.
Scouting the Hornets (0-3)Kemba Walker leads the Hornets in scoring (16.3 points), assists (5.3) and steals (1.7)… Al Jefferson is fourth on the team in scoring (12.3 points), second in rebounding (8.7) and third in field-goal percentage (43.9 percent). Jefferson will also be looking to notch his third-consecutive double-double against Chicago, which is something he accomplished twice during the 2014-15 NBA season… Marvin Williams is averaging 12.7 points, a team-high 9.0 rebounds and has connected on 8-of-18 total three pointers so far this season (44.4 percent), which is the third-best three-point percentage in the league amongst power forwards with a minimum of 15 attempts. Williams also recorded consecutive double-doubles and back-to-back double-digit rebounding performances from Oct. 28-30, which is the first time he has accomplished both since Feb. 5-8, 2011… Nicolas Batum is putting up 13.0 points, 7.3 rebounds and 5.0 assists so far this season for Charlotte. Amongst small forwards in the NBA, Nicolas Batum is currently ranked tied-for-fifth in rebounding and first in assists… Jeremy Lin is fifth on the team in scoring (12.0 points), despite coming off the bench in all three of Charlotte’s games this season… Coming off the bench, Jeremy Lamb is averaging 10.0 points and a team-high 2.0 blocks in 16.5 minutes over two games for the Hornets… Charlotte is allowing a league-low-tying 6.3 offensive rebounds a game… The Hornets are shooting 35.2 percent from three-point range so far this season, which is tied with Washington for the ninth-best three-point percentage of any team in the NBA. Last year, Charlotte ranked last in this category (31.8 percent)… The Hornets are also averaging 10.7 made three-pointers and 30.3 three-point attempts, the later of which is third-most in the NBA. Last season, the Hornets made an average of 6.1 three-pointers on 19.1 three-point attempts, the later of which was ranked 24th overall in the NBA… Charlotte is averaging the third-fewest turnovers of any team in the league right now (12.3)… The Hornets are ranked 25th in the NBA in points scored (93.3) and tied-for-11th with the Atlanta Hawks in points allowed (98.3)… Charlotte’s opponents this season have shot 87.7 percent from the free-throw line, which is the third-best opposing free-throw percentage of any team in the NBA right now.
Scouting the Bulls (3-1) Charlotte and Chicago split the season series last year, 2-2 (each team was 1-1 at home)… Pau Gasol is currently averaging 12.5 points on 47.8 percent shooting, and team highs in both rebounds (7.8) and blocks (2.8), the later of which is ranked seventh overall in the NBA… Jimmy Butler is averaging team highs in points (19.5) and steals (2.75), the later of which is currently ranked second-best in the NBA. Butler is also second on the team in assists (3.3) and fifth in rebounding (6.0)… Derrick Rose is averaging 11.8 points on 35.2 percent shooing and a team-high 5.5 assists for the Bulls… Nikola Mirotic is second on the team in both scoring (18.8 points on 46.8 percent shooting) and rebounding (6.8). Mirotic is currently second in the league in made three-pointers (13) and is fourth in three-point percentage for players with a minimum of 20 attempts (46.4 percent)… Joakim Noah is averaging 2.5 points, 6.8 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 0.75 blocks in 19.3 minutes off the bench this season so far for Chicago… The Bulls are allowing their opponents to shoot just 24.7 percent from three-point range, which is the second-lowest opposing three-point percentage of any team in the NBA… The Bulls are shooting 36.1 percent from three-point range this season, which is sixth-best in the league… Chicago also has the fourth-best average turnover differential of any team this season (+2.7)… Chicago selected forward Bobby Portis out of the University of Arkansas with the 22nd overall selection in the 2015 NBA Draft. Portis was chosen as the 2015 SEC Player of the Year last season in his sophomore season with the Razorbacks… Chicago fired head coach, Tom Thibodeau, at the conclusion of the 2014-15 NBA season. Thibodeau posted a 255-139 regular season record with the Bulls from 2010-15 and also worked on the Houston Rockets coaching staff with Hornets head coach, Steve Clifford, from 2003-07… Thibodeau was replaced by Iowa State University head coach, Fred Hoiberg, who played for the Bulls from 1999-2003… Charlotte’s Frank Kaminsky and Chicago’s Doug McDermott were both recipients of the NCAA Naismith National Player of the Year Award. Kaminsky won in 2015 with the University of Wisconsin while McDermott won in 2014 with Creighton University.