The Hornets and Raptors will face off for the first time this season at the Spectrum Center.
The Charlotte Hornets (29-31) host the Portland Trail Blazers (29-31) at Spectrum Center on Saturday. The Trail Blazers have won 13 of their last 16 matchups with the Hornets dating back to 2017.
Here are three key storylines to know heading into Saturday’s matchup:
1. Charlotte continues to surprise: Charlotte’s turnaround has been one of the best stories of the season. The Hornets come into this matchup having won three straight and 13 of their last 16 games. The nature of those wins is even more impressive, with the Hornets outsourcing their opponents by nearly 11 points per game. That’s no surprise since Charlotte sits second in offensive efficiency and fourth in net rating during that span. What makes them so dangerous is their depth. Brandon Miller, LaMelo Ball, Kon Knueppel and Miles Bridges are all averaging over 18 points per game. Most teams don’t even have three 18-point scorers. That has Charlotte in prime position to battle for a playoff spot, skyrocketing up to 10th in the Eastern Conference. That’s quite a shift from New Year’s Day when the Hornets were sitting 12th in the East with an 11-22 mark.
2. Portland’s putting things together: Portland fans were frustrated when they had a six-game losing streak at the beginning of the month, but they’ve been a different team since that slide. The Trail Blazers enter this matchup winning six of their last nine outings. What’s really developed in that strong stretch is the offense, scoring at least 121 points in five of those six victories. They’re also building a strong core behind Deni Avdija and Donovan Clingan. Avdija is averaging a career-high 24.4 points, 7.1 rebounds and 6.6 assists in an All-Star campaign. Clingan has broken out in his second season with 11.9 points, 11.5 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game. That’s a great pairing with veterans like Jrue Holiday and Jerami Grant, who have been stepping up whenever Avdija and Clingan are unavailable. Clingan missed the most recent win due to an illness, while Avdija has missed the last two with a back issue. Neither is expected to be a long-term issue, but they need those guys back soon, since Shaedon Sharpe is out for the next month with a calf injury as well. Despite the injury bug, Portland is muscling through this stretch.
3. Kon Knueppel’s historic season: We talked about how Charlotte’s depth has been the key to their success, but hitting on a rookie like Knueppel has been a smash. The No.4 pick from this year’s draft has already established himself as one of the best shooters in the NBA, averaging 19.3 points, 5.4 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game. The long-range shooting is what’s truly a game-changer for this team, with Knueppel breaking the rookie record for 3-pointers made in a single season earlier this week. He connected on his 207th 3-pointer in a 133-109 win over the Indiana Pacers on Thursday. To put it in perspective, Knueppel and the Hornets still have 22 more games left on the schedule. That puts Knueppel in a position to put some serious distance between himself and the rest of the field.