Hornets at Jazz
The Charlotte Hornets are enduring a deep slump, and things are just getting worse on the road. The Hornets will try to snap a six-game slide and avoid a sweep on the three-game Western Conference swing when they visit the Utah Jazz on Saturday.
Charlotte dropped 13 of its last 17 overall games and fell at Portland and Golden State on the first two games of the road trip by an average of 16 points while allowing a total of 32 made 3-pointers - 21 to the Warriors on Wednesday. “Steph (Curry) and (Klay) Thompson were just so dominant early," Hornets coach Steve Clifford told reporters of Golden State's star guards. "We made some mistakes and they made us pay every time. That was tough." The Jazz have a chance to secure a winning four-game homestand on Saturday after improving to 2-1 with a win over the Milwaukee Bucks on Wednesday. Utah snapped a string of four straight games, during which it went 1-3, without reaching 100 points in the 104-88 triumph as Gordon Hayward led the way with 27 points.
TV: 9 p.m. ET, FSN Southeast (Charlotte), ROOT (Utah)
ABOUT THE HORNETS (23-27): Charlotte made a move to shake up the roster on Thursday, acquiring center Miles Plumlee from the Milwaukee Bucks in exchange for centers Spencer Hawes and Roy Hibbert. "We felt like we needed more physicality on the frontline, and athleticism," Hornets general manager Rich Choo said on a conference call. "And those are two things Miles can bring. Those are two of his strengths. He might not be as well-known as the other guys (Hawes and Hibbert), but he has been in the league for a while. He’s 28-years-old. We’ve seen him a ton and I think he’s pretty well known within the NBA circle, maybe not to the fans out there as much, but he’s pretty well known within the NBA circle." Plumlee also comes with a four-year $50 million contract signed last summer.
ABOUT THE JAZZ (31-19): Plumlee was in Utah with the Bucks on Wednesday but did not get off the bench as the Jazz breezed and will get another chance at dealing with Rudy Gobert should the Hornets decide to get him into the action on Saturday. Gobert went for 26 points on 9-of-13 shooting and 15 rebounds in Wednesday's win - his 11th consecutive game hitting 50 percent or better from the floor. "He's really good for us when he's being a dynamic roller, catching the basketball and finishing above the rim," Hayward told the Salt Lake Tribune of Gobert.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Jazz G Rodney Hood will sit out Saturday after suffering a hyperextended right knee and a bone contusion on Wednesday.
2. Hornets SG Nicolas Batum is 15-of-26 from 3-point range over the last five games.
3. Charlotte took the first meeting 104-98 at home on Nov. 9 despite Hayward's 29 points.