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Keys to Beat Wizards, Bulls and Hawks

By Matt Gorry, hornets.com

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Key Matchup vs. Wizards: Michael Kidd-Gilchrist vs. Paul Pierce

One is a future Hall of famer, while the other is emerging as a solid starter in his third season… Michael Kidd-Gilchrist has been building on his numbers from last season - 7.2 points and 5.2 rebounds – with a strong summer and preseason. MKG has boosted his averages to 15.0 points and 6.8 rebounds through four preseason games, while playing 28 minutes a game as a starter… Playing opposite of Kidd-Gilchrist is newly-acquired veteran Paul Pierce. The 10-time All-Star, who comes to Washington after spending last season with Brooklyn, boasts career averages of 21.3 points, 5.9 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 1.4 steals.

Key Matchup vs. Bulls: Al Jefferson vs. Joakim Noah

All-NBA performers highlight a matchup between Eastern Conference playoff teams Sunday night… Big Al Jefferson was the only player in the Eastern Conference and one of only five players in the NBA to average at least 20.0 points and 10.0 rebounds en route to All-NBA Third Team honors, averaging 21.8 points, 10.8 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.1 blocks on the year. Jefferson scored in double-figures 69 times, including 45 games with 20 points or more and 13 games with at least 30 points. The big man hasn’t missed a beat to open the 2014 preseason, averaging 11.9 points to lead to the Hornets to an early 2-2 mark… Joakim Noah is one of the anchors of Chicago’s defense… The 2014 Kia NBA Defensive Player of the Year and All-NBA First Team honoree was the focal point of a defense that allowed a league-best 91.8 points last season. The eight-year pro averaged a double-double on the year (12.6 points, 11.3 rebounds) to garner All-NBA honors, including 1.5 blocks, and posted 47 double-doubles on the year, good for fourth in the league, and four triple-doubles, which was second. He became only the fifth center in NBA history to average at least 12.0 points, 11.0 rebounds and 5.0 assists.

Key Matchup vs. Hawks: Gary Neal vs. Kyle Korver

A pair of the game’s best sharpshooters meet on Oct. 10 when the Hornets travel to Atlanta… Gary Neal, a career 39.4 percent 3-point shooter, has proven to be a lethal from behind the arc. The fifth-year veteran has shot over 41 percent from downtown in four seasons in the league, including a 40.6 percent mark in 22 games with Charlotte last season. Heading into his first full season as a Hornet, Neal has been even better, averaging 15.8 points  in the preseason to lead the team, including a 33.3 percent mark from deep (4-of-12)… Playing opposite of Neal is the league’s top 3-point shooter in Kyle Korver. He led the NBA in 3-point shooting in 2013-14 at 47.2 percent and has shot 42.5 percent from 3-point land in his career. His 185 made 3-pointers last year ranked fifth on the Hawks’ all-time single season list. Korver averaged 12.0 points, 4.0 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 1.0 steals on the season.

Scouting the Hornets (2-2 preseason)

Charlotte is coming off its first home loss of the preseason, a 104-84 setback to the Detroit Pistons Wednesday afternoon… The Hornets struggled offensively, shooting just 34.1 percent (28-of-82) in the game, including a 3-of-22 (13.6 percent) mark from behind the arc… Detroit shot nearly 48 percent (39-of-82) on the afternoon but used a dominating edge on the boards (58-36) to pull away… Four Hornets scored in double figures, led by Gary Neal’s20 ­– the third time in four games he’s led the team in scoring… P.J. Hairston, Brian Roberts and Al Jefferson tallied 10 points apiece… Charlotte is looking for its second preseason win over the Wizards, after leading from the opening tip en route to a 99-86 victory in the teams’ first meeting Oct. 10 in Greenville, S.C… In the first matchup, Neal led the way with 19 points and was one of five players to finish in double-figures.

Scouting the Wizards (3-1 preseason)

The Wizards have picked up this preseason where they left off the 2013-14 playoff run… The fast start to the preseason comes on the heels of the Wizards first playoff appearance since the 2007-08 season. Washington finished the year with a 44-38 mark, its highest win total since winning 45 games in 2004-05. Twenty-two of those wins came on the road, tying the Raptors and Heat for the best road record in the Eastern Conference… All-Star point guard John Wall turned in a career year to head the youth movement in the nation’s capital. The point guard led the NBA with 721 total assists, tallied two triple-doubles and a career-high 29 double-doubles, while scoring 30+ points in a career-best seven contests… The prize acquisition of the offseason for the franchise was the future Hall of Famer, Paul Pierce. The 10-time All-Star, who comes to Washington after spending last season with Brooklyn, ranks fourth among active players in NBA scoring history and 18th all-time (25,031)… The Wizards lone preseason loss came to Charlotte on Oct. 10, 99-86… Xavier Silas led the scoring with 16 points, including four treys… Otto Porter Jr. added 14 points on 5-of-9 shooting… Wall tallied five points and five dimes… The bigger loss in the game was starting guard Bradley Beal going down with a broken left wrist. Beal, who averaged 17.1 points last season, will likely be sidelined for six weeks.

Scouting the Bulls (2-2 preseason)

A revamped roster for one of the preseason favorites in the Eastern Conference is starting to gel with wins in its last two outings… After dropping its first two games, the Bulls topped Milwaukee on Oct. 11 before routing Denver Monday night at home, 110-90… Jimmy Butler scored 21 points to lead all scorers… Former MVP Derrick Rose finished with 15 points, five rebounds and five assists… Rookie DougMcDermott added 16 points and five boards… The Bulls head into the 2014-15 season with one of the league’s deepest rosters… Already featuring Rose, the 2011 NBA Most Valuable Player, and All-Star Joakim Noah coming off a career season (12.6 points, 11.3 rebounds, 5.4 assists), Chicago added several key pieces… The prize acquisition was veteran Pau Gasol, one of only six players in NBA history to record 16,000 points, 8,000 rebounds, 2,900 assists and 1,400 blocks in a career. Gasol averaged 17.4 points and 9.7 rebounds per game last season with the Lakers… McDermott, the 2014 Consensus National Player of the Year at Creighton, joined the Bulls after Chicago required his draft rights from the Denver Nuggets. The 6-foot-8 forward has averaged 8.7 points per game during the preseason… The Bulls also signed seventh-year point guard Aaron Brooks to back up Rose. Brooks tallied 7.0 points and 2.0 assists last season with the Rockets and Nuggets.

Scouting the Hawks (2-1 preseason)

The Hawks were in the playoffs for the seventh consecutive season in 2013-14, the longest active postseason streak in the Eastern Conference … The streak equals the longest run in Atlanta history (1992-99) … Since moving to Atlanta in 1968, the franchise has made 29 postseason appearances… The Hawks relied on setting up their teammates and knocking down 3-point shots to power a playoff run… Atlanta ranked second in the NBA (first in the Eastern Conference) in assists at 24.9 per game last year, dishing out at least 20 helpers 74 times, and 25-or-more on 41 occasions, including 13 30-assist nights (12-1) … The Hawks recorded assists on 66.7 percent (2041-3061) of their made baskets, best in the league … Additionally, Atlanta was seventh in the NBA in A/TO ratio at 1.63… The Hawks set a franchise record last season by connecting on 10-plus 3FGs in eight consecutive games (12/14-12/29)… Atlanta hit double-digit threes 35 times on the year overall, breaking the franchise mark of 27… For the year, the Hawks made 768 3FGs, also a new club record… Paul Millsap was the only player in the NBA last season to average at least 16.0 points, 8.0 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 1.0 steals and 1.0 block. On the year, he recorded 17.9 points, 8.5 rebounds, 3.1 assists, 1.7 steals and 1.1 blocks to earn his first All-Star selection... Starting center Al Horford returned to the court for the first time since tearing his pectoral muscle after 29 games last season on Oct. 14, scoring two points in 11 minutes against the Heat in a 109-103 victory... Former Wake Forest point guard Jeff Teague runs Atlanta’s offense and is coming off a banner year where he posted career-bests in points (16.5) and rebounds (2.6), while averaging 6.7 dimes a game… The Hawks added depth in the offseason with the addition of former Thunder standout Thabo Sefolosha and drafting collegiate star Adreian Payne from Michigan State with the 15th overall pick in the NBA Draft.