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What: Charlotte Hornets (8-14) vs Golden State Warriors (4-18)
When: 7:00 pm EST
Where: Spectrum Center; Charlotte, NC
How to watch: Fox Sports Southeast, NBA League Pass
Six months ago, the Warriors were in the middle of their fifth straight NBA Finals appearance. They were unequivocally the best team in the league during that run. Now they’re the worst.
The Warriors four wins have come against the Pelicans, Trail Blazers, Grizzlies, and Bulls. Only the Trail Blazers sit above the bottom feeders, but that game came at the height of the Blazers’ early season struggles.
They’re coming off a brutal 104-79 loss to the Hawks. Again, they scored 79 points against the Atlanta Hawks. The same Hawks team that was eviscerated by James Harden and the Rockets in a 158-111 loss just two nights before.
Most nights the Warriors trot out lineups that look like they belong in the G League as they look for any excuse they can to sit D’Angelo Russell and Draymond Green. Green sat out on Monday, but there’s a good chance he plays tonight. Russell has missed the last nine games with a thumb injury, but he’s been itching to get back on the court and is listed as questionable for tonight’s game. If they play, they’ll at least give the Warriors some star power.
On the Hornets injury front, Nicolas Batum is listed as probable after leaving Monday’s game with discomfort in his injured left hand.
Regardless of who plays, this is setting up to be a close game. The Hornets have yet to play a game against a bad team without letting the game go down to the wire. So until they show that they’re capable of doing something else, we’re going to assume that’s what’s going to happen tonight.