Nets at Hornets
The Charlotte Hornets are 5 1/2 games out of the No. 8 spot in the Eastern Conference with 25 games left in the regular season and the stretch run begins when they come back from the All-Star break and host the Brooklyn Nets on Thursday. The Hornets snapped a four-game slide with a win at Orlando heading into the break.
Charlotte will play 21 of the last 25 games against East teams and gets three of the first four out of the break at home, where it owns a 15-15 record. The Hornets went into the break healthy and got an extended rest for everyone but point guard Kemba Walker, who was a member of the winning Team LeBron in Los Angeles on Sunday. Brooklyn limped into the break with losses in seven straight and is just one game ahead of the last-place Atlanta Hawks in the East. "We've got to come back with obviously a bit of a chip on our shoulder," Nets coach Kenny Atkinson told reporters. "We've got to turn it around. We've got (23) games after the All-Star break. Let's see if we can make a little money and play well going into that offseason. I said that last year. It's so important, and we did that last year. We're kind of stagnating right now."
TV: 7 p.m. ET, YES (Brooklyn), FS Southeast (Charlotte)
ABOUT THE NETS (19-40): Brooklyn did not have an All-Star but made its mark on the weekend when point guard Spencer Dinwiddie won the Skills Challenge during Saturday's festivities. Dinwiddie is a breakout player in an otherwise down season for the Nets and is logging big minutes due to Jeremy Lin's season-ending knee injury and D'Angelo Russell's knee troubles. "It's unfortunate they got hurt, those are my guys, I wish they hadn't," Dinwiddie told Newsday. "But all I can do is try to make the best of it, and it's been a fun ride this first half of the season. It's fun to be tasked with making plays and being allowed that freedom. It's everything I really dreamed of in the NBA. Everybody wants to be that dynamic guy. For me, it's been a lot of fun, and it's a blessing because it's not lost on me that I wasn't supposed to have any of that this year."
ABOUT THE HORNETS (24-33): Walker came into the season as the undisputed floor leader in Charlotte and fought through trade rumors while putting together another All-Star campaign. "Whenever you get to be around guys like LeBron James or Melo (Carmelo Anthony), who was there last year, Kyle Lowry -- guys who have been around -- there is nothing better," Walker told the Charlotte Observer. "Guys who know what it takes to win in this league, who have been in multiple All-Star Games. To have the chance to pick their brains? To interact with them? I don't get to see those guys on a regular basis. To get that chance is very special." Walker, who scored 11 points in 14 minutes on Sunday at the All-Star Game, is averaging 22.9 points and 5.8 assists for the Hornets.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Nets SF Rondae Hollis-Jefferson (groin) and SG Caris LeVert (knee) were both injured before the break but could return on Thursday.
2. The Hornets declined to extend the contract of general manager Rich Cho on Tuesday and will begin the search for a new GM.
3. Charlotte took three of the four meetings last season and seven of eight in the series.