Timberwolves at Hornets
The Charlotte Hornets are working their way up the standings in the Eastern Conference and are looking impressive on the way. The Hornets will try to secure their fourth consecutive victory and keep the pressure on fifth-place Atlanta in the East when they host the Minnesota Timberwolves on Monday.
Charlotte suffered an 87-76 loss at Atlanta on Feb. 28 but turned the offense around completely over the next three games while averaging 117.7 points. The Hornets won games on back-to-back nights by 20 or more points each for the first time in franchise history with big wins over bottom-feeders Phoenix and Philadelphia on Tuesday and Wednesday last week and proved it was no fluke with a 108-101 triumph over Indiana on Friday that vaulted them over the Pacers and into the No. 6 spot in the East. Charlotte might need to put more emphasis on the defensive end against the Timberwolves, who are coming off a team-record performance in a win over the Brooklyn Nets on Saturday. Minnesota shot a franchise-best 68.4 percent from the field in the 132-118 triumph, led by young stars Karl-Anthony Towns and Andrew Wiggins.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, FSN North (Minnesota), FSN Southeast (Charlotte)
ABOUT THE TIMBERWOLVES (20-43): Towns went 14-of-18 from the field and Wiggins was 10-of-14 in Saturday’s win, which snapped a three-game slide for Minnesota. Interim coach Sam Mitchell sat most of his starters in the second half of a 116-101 loss at Milwaukee on Friday and criticized their effort after the game, and harsh words seemed to get through to the players. “We all came out and played as a team; really moved the ball and helped each other defensively,” Wiggins told reporters. “…We responded well. We knew last night, that’s not how we play. We all know we’re better than that.”
ABOUT THE HORNETS (33-28): Kemba Walker is the engine that runs Charlotte, and he has been in high gear the last three games with an average of 29.7 points on 51.9 percent shooting. The 25-year-old guard became only the fifth player in franchise history to record at least 30 points and 10 assists in a game when he went for 33 and 10 in Friday’s triumph. Walker is at his best at home, averaging 22.1 points in front of the Charlotte fans and 19.9 on the road, and the Hornets began a stretch of seven straight and nine of 10 in their own building with Friday’s win.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Hornets G Nicolas Batum posted his second 30-plus scoring outing of the season with 31 points on 12-of-22 shooting Friday.
2. Timberwolves G Zach LaVine has scored 20 or more points in three straight and four of the last five games.
3. Walker managed just 10 points on 4-of-12 shooting at Minnesota on Nov. 10, but G Jeremy Lin stepped up with 19 off the bench in a 104-95 Charlotte win.