Hornets look to sweep season series from Wizards

What: Charlotte Hornets (34-42) vs. Washington Wizards (41-34)

Where: Captial One Arena; Washington, D.C.

When: 3:00 p.m. EST

How to watch: Fox Sports South, NBA League Pass

The Charlotte Hornets face off against the Washington Wizards this afternoon. With a win, they will sweep the season series, 4-0, a feat that is a bit surprising given how this season has gone.

But as far as I’m concerned, today is the Hornets “championship.” A chance to sweep a division rival (and the division leader for that matter) is nothing to play down. Washington has had their share of struggles this season, but sitting sixth in the Eastern Conference and three and a half games back of fifth place, they’ll likely look at the previous three games against Charlotte and want at least two of them back.

Aside from the first matchup that went to overtime, the Hornets have dominated the Wizards. Averaging a 128 points against them, Charlotte won the last two matchups by double digits and embarrassing Washington in the process. Will that continue today? Sure, it’s possible, but it is important to remember that Washington still has something to play for while the Hornets don’t.

Washington will get a big boost by the return of John Wall. Barring any last minute set backs, Wall will play in his first game in two months. Wall will undoubtedly be rusty, but if I’m the Wizards, bringing him back at home against a team with little to play for seems like a good call.

Charlotte’s injury situation is about the same. Cody Zeller and Michael Carter-Williams remain out, while Jermey Lamb is probable:

Today I’m looking for continued progress from the young guys. I’ve been fairly pleased with the progress of Malik Monk, Dwayne Bacon, and Willy Hernangomez. While they are still a work in progress, signs point to them figuring the NBA game out.

Frank Kaminsky has also looked good this month. His shooting percent is way up over his last 10 games (53.8 percent vs his season average of 42.8) and he’s played well against Washington this season, averaging 16.3 points in three games.

Anyways, enjoy the afternoon tip; with only six games remaining (including today) we don’t have a lot of opportunities left to watch the Hornets play this season.