The Charlotte Hornets will be at the Verizon Center to challenge a divisional foe in the Washington Wizards. Action starts at 12:00 pm ET on Sunday, Apr. 10 and will air on NBA, FxS and WA2.
The Wizards fell to the Pistons 112-99 on Friday. Markieff Morris was the team’s leading scorer with 29 points. The Hornets, meanwhile, are coming off a 113-99 win against the Nets on Friday. Kemba Walker led the game in scoring with 22 points on 7-for-17 shooting.
Walker has upped his play for the Hornets, averaging 24.6 points, 5.6 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 1.8 steals, 1.0 block, and 3.4 three-pointers over the past five games.
Second-chance opportunities could be few and far between for the Wizards in this one. They rank 26th in the league in offensive rebounding (offensive rebound percentage of just 20.7%), while Charlotte is best in the NBA on the defensive glass (defensive rebound percentage of 79.6%). Also, the Hornets commit the fewest errors in the NBA (turnover percentage of 12.1%), while the ball-hawking defense of the Wizards causes the fifth-most (opponents’ turnover percentage of 15.5%).
The Hornets lead the season series against the Wizards two games to one, including a 108-104 victory in their last matchup. John Wall had a double-double in the defeat with 23 points and 10 assists.
The Wizards have gone 38-41 Straight Up (SU) and 40-38-1 Against The Spread (ATS). They are 7-7 SU and 6-7-1 ATS against divisional opponents. Spreading the ball around is a huge part of Washington’s offense. They are fifth in the league in assists with an average of 24.4 per game. Washington’s defense has put it all together in the past 10 games. Its average points allowed per game dropped to 97.1 during that span, compared to its 104.7 season average.
Across the court, the Hornets head into the game with records of 40-38-1 ATS and 46-33 SU. In divisional games, Charlotte has gone 8-6 SU and ATS. Charlotte is one of the top three-point shooting teams in the league, making 10.0 shots from three-point range per game. The Hornets are the better of the two teams when it comes to assist-to-turnover ratio, ranking fourth in the NBA at 1.82. The Hornets average 100.5 points allowed per game, but have damaged those numbers in the past 10 games, allowing 109.4 points per game during that span. The Hornets have established a reputation of cleaning up the defensive glass with 34.9 defensive rebounds per game, making them one of the top five teams in the league.
In their previous meeting this season, Charlotte beat Washington, bumping its SU record over the last 10 meetings to 7-3. Additionally, the Hornets lead the matchup ATS with a record of 7-3.
Predictions: SU Winner – Cha
Notes
“Washington is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games “.
“The total has gone OVER in 4 of Washington’s last 5 games “.
“Washington is 9-4 ATS in its last 13 games at home”.
“Washington is 10-3 SU in its last 13 games at home”.
“Washington is 3-7 ATS in its last 10 games when playing Charlotte”.
“Washington is 3-7 SU in its last 10 games when playing Charlotte”.
“Washington is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games when playing at home against Charlotte”.
“The total has gone UNDER in 10 of Washington’s last 14 games when playing at home against Charlotte”.
Washington ranks 10th in points per game with 103.7, while Charlotte ranks eighth in points allowed with an average of 100.5 given up.
On average, Washington puts up 105.8 points per home game (ranked eighth). Charlotte ranks ninth in points allowed per road game with 102.0.
When allowing fewer than 100 points, the Wizards are 25-5 on the season. When the Hornets score fewer than 100, they are an underachieving 8-25.
When allowing 100 or more points in a game, the Wizards are just 13-36 this season. Charlotte is a superb 38-8 when it hits the century mark.
The Wizards have an offensive rating of 103.3 (ranked 21st). The Hornets rank seventh for their defensive rating of 102.1.
The Washington Wizards average 100.3 possessions per game and 1.033 points per possession, while the Charlotte Hornets earn fewer possessions (97.7) but more points per possession (1.056).
The Washington Wizards have one of the best effective field goal percentages this season, ranking 10th in the league with an EFF% of 50.9%. When their opponents have a similar or higher EFF%, the Charlotte Hornets are 13-18.
The Washington Wizards average 24.0 three point attempts per game and are 20-17 when attempting at least 25 in a game. The Charlotte Hornets average 29.0 attempts and have a solid record (43-27) when attempting 25 or more.
Charlotte ranks near the top of the league with an assist to turnover ratio of 1.82 (ranked fourth). Washington is ranked ninth, with an A/TO of 1.76 this season.
The Washington Wizards are one of the worst rebounding teams in the league with just 41.6 per game. The Charlotte Hornets average 43.9 rebounds (ranked 14th).
The Charlotte Hornets rank 28th in offensive rebounding, while the Washington Wizards rank 22nd in defensive rebounding.
Washington ranks fifth in forced turnovers with an average rate of 15.5%. Charlotte has a 7-10 record when they suffer a turnover rate equal to or exceeding this.
