By Sam Perley, hornets.com
Tune InThese games can be seen on FOX SportSouth and can be heard on WFNZ or the Official Charlotte Hornets app.
Key Matchup vs. Heat: Kemba Walker vs. Goran Dragić
The fate of Charlotte’s playoff hopes will be on Kemba Walker’s shoulders as the Hornets make a trip down south to take on Goran Dragić and the Miami Heat on Tuesday night… Walker is back on track after having mid-season knee surgery with averages of 19.2 points on 42.7 percent shooting and 5.4 assists over his last five games… With Al Jefferson looking day-to-day for the rest of the year with a knee injury, Walker will be in a familiar situation in putting this Hornets team on his back like he did earlier this season with six straight games scoring 28-or-more points from Jan. 3-14 with Charlotte’s center sidelined… Another big performance from Walker won’t come easy as he squares off against the Heat’s newly-acquired point guard, Goran Dragić, down in Miami… Dragić is averaging 16.1 points on 50.1 percent shooting, which are both the second-highest marks of his career trailing only last year’s All-NBA selection season… The seventh-year veteran out of Slovenia recently leveraged his way out of a crowded backcourt in Phoenix where he averaged just 4.1 assists, which was on pace to be his lowest since the 2010-11 season. Since the mid-season trade, Dragić is already looking more comfortable in South Beach as he is up to 5.5 assists in Miami, despite not having second-leading scorer Chris Bosh, who is out for the season with a blood clot in his lungs…. With the race for the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference coming down to the wire, look for both Walker and Dragić to take their game to the next level as they meet for a crucial matchup in the season-series finale down in Miami on Tuesday night.
Key Matchup vs. Raptors: Gerald Henderson vs. DeMar DeRozan
Gerald Henderson will look to keep the scoring of DeMar DeRozan in check and put up some big points of his own when the Hornets welcome the Toronto Raptors to Charlotte on Wednesday night… Despite a rough outing against Philadelphia on Apr. 4 where he finished just 3-of-12 for seven points, Henderson did hit the game-winning layup with just six seconds remaining to seal the win for the Hornets and keep their push for the postseason alive… Prior to the Philadelphia game, Henderson had scored in double figures in a season-long 10 consecutive games and was averaging 16.1 points on 48.1 percent shooting during this stretch… Henderson also had his best game of the season against Toronto on Jan. 8 notching a season-high 31 points and will be looking for a repeat performance when the Hornets meet up with the Raptors and their red-hot shooting guard, DeMar DeRozan… The former Southern California Trojan is fresh off putting up the ninth-highest scoring average in the NBA in the month of March (23.9) and over his last five games is averaging 26.0 points on 47.9 percent shooting, 6.4 rebounds and 4.4 assists for the Raptors… DeRozan also tallied a career-high 42 points against Houston on Mar. 30 and has become Toronto’s go-to option on the offensive end with Kyle Lowry sidelined because of a back injury… The sixth-year veteran also had the Hornets number in the most recent meeting between these teams on Mar. 6 with a game-high 30 points although Toronto came out on the losing end for the second straight time this season… With both starting shooting guards having experienced success against the opposing team earlier this season, be on the lookout for more offensive fireworks when Gerald Henderson and DeMar DeRozan are lined up against each other on Wednesday night in Charlotte.
Scouting the Hornets (33-43)
The Hornets got a timely last-second layup from Gerald Henderson which was just enough to seal a 92-91 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers on Apr. 4 in Charlotte… Kemba Walker tallied a game-high 24 points along with five rebounds and two assists to lead the Hornets in the win… Mo Williams had another strong outing off the bench finishing with 18 points, a team-high five assists and was also a perfect 8-of-8 from the free-throw line… Marvin Williams finished in double figures with 11 points while Bismack Biyombo tallied nine points and team highs in both rebounds (nine) and blocks (three)… Kemba Walker has scored in double figures in 10 of his 14 games since returning from a knee injury on Mar. 11 and is averaging 15.4 points, 3.4 rebounds, 4.9 assists and 1.57 steals during this stretch… Al Jefferson is putting up just 7.3 points, 5.3 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.8 blocks over his last four games, two of which he did not play in the second half because of a right knee injury. Jefferson is considered questionable to play against Miami on Apr. 7… Marvin Williams is averaging 13.2 points on 48.9 percent shooting and 6.0 rebounds over his last five games and has scored in double figures in all five games, which is his longest streak in over three seasons… Gerald Henderson is shooting a career-high 86.1 percent from the free-throw line, which ranks eighth overall in the NBA amongst shooting guards.The sixth-year guard out of Duke also averaged 15.4 points in the month of March, which was third-highest on the team and the highest-scoring month of the season for Henderson… Mo Williams has scored in double figures in 20 of his 24 games as a Charlotte Hornet while averaging team-highs in both scoring (18.2) and assists (6.3) during this stretch… Bismack Biyombo is averaging 8.2 points, 9.0 rebounds and 2.6 blocks over his last five games and has recorded three-or-more blocks in four of his last six games. Biyombo is questionable to play against Miami on Apr. 7 after suffering a broken nose against Philadelphia on Apr. 4… Cody Zeller (shoulder) and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist (ankle) are also considered questionable to play against Miami… The Hornets are currently ranked third in the NBA in points allowed (97.0) and eighth in rebounding (44.4)… Charlotte sits in 11th place in the Eastern Conference standings and is 1.5 games behind the Boston Celtics for the eighth and final playoff spot with six games remaining in the regular season.
Scouting the Heat (34-43)
The Hornets notched their eighth win in nine games as they held on to beat the Heat, 78-76, on Jan. 21 in Charlotte… Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade each tallied a team-high 17 points and seven rebounds for Miami in the loss… Mario Chalmers also scored in double figures with 13 points and three rebounds… James Ennis notched eight points and a team-high-tying seven rebounds off the bench while Wade and Shabazz Napier each finished with four assists to lead the Heat… Kemba Walker posted a team-high 15 points for the Hornets who also got double-digit scoring performances from Bismack Biyombo (12), Al Jefferson (12) and Gerald Henderson (11)… Michael Kidd-Gilchrist (14), Cody Zeller (12) and Biyombo (12) all finished in double figures for rebounding… Zeller also added a then-career-high six assists for the Hornets in the win… Dwyane Wade leads the Heat with 21.5 points and 4.9 assists although is shooting 47.8 percent from the field which is his lowest percentage since the 2009-10 season. Wade also finished just shy of his season-best with 40 points against Detroit on Mar. 29… Chris Bosh is Miami’s second-leading scorer (21.1) but is out for the remainder of the season after a blood clot was discovered in lungs during the All-Star Break… Goran Dragić has scored in double figures in five consecutive games and is averaging 15.2 points on 46.4 percent shooting and 5.4 assists during this stretch. Dragić and Wade are also combining to shoot 48.9 percent, which is the highest combined percentage of any starting backcourt in the NBA. Dragić was acquired from the Phoenix Suns along with his brother, Zoran Dragić, on Feb. 19 in a three-team deal that also included the New Orleans Pelicans in exchange for two first-round picks, Norris Cole, Danny Granger, Shawne Williams and Justin Hamilton… Hassan Whiteside is averaging 11.2 points and team highs in both rebounding (9.7) and blocks (2.50), the later of which ranks second overall in the NBA. Whiteside is considered questionable to play against Charlotte on Apr. 8 (hand)… Luol Deng is also averaging double figures (14.2) in his first season in Miami, which ranks third on the team amongst active players… Miami is ranked fifth in the NBA in points allowed (97.0), 28th in points scored (94.5) and last in rebounding (38.7)… Shabazz Napier is out for the season after undergoing surgery on Apr. 1 to repair a sports hernia… Miami has lost four straight games although have won eight of its last 10 games at home and 10 straight at home against Charlotte… The Heat currently sit in a ninth-place tie with the Indiana Pacers in the Eastern Conference with the Hornets just 0.5 games back… Miami is 30-6 when leading at the end of third quarter and 11-3 when holding opponents under 90 points… Hassan Whiteside played his junior year at Hope Christian Academy in Concord, NC from 2007-2008.
Scouting the Raptors (45-32)
The Hornets held off the surging Raptors in the second half as they came away with 103-94 win on Mar. 6 in Charlotte… DeMar DeRozan put up a game-high 30 points for Toronto who also got 25 points, five rebounds and five assists from All-Star point guard, Kyle Lowry… Terrence Ross tallied eight points, three rebounds, a team-high seven assists and two steals for the visiting Raptors… Al Jefferson posted a double-double with 23 points, 13 rebounds along with five assists and two blocks… Mo Williams also scored 23 points and dished out a team-high seven assists while Gerald Henderson (13), Cody Zeller (12) and Lance Stephenson (11) each finished in double figures for Charlotte in the win… Michael Kidd-Gilchrist also had a strong performance finishing with eight points, 11 rebounds and four assists… DeMar DeRozan has scored 20-or-more points in 15 of his last 18 games, including a career-high 42 points and career-high-tying 11 rebounds against Houston on Mar. 30. DeRozan is the fourth player in franchise history to record a 40-point, 10 rebound game and is also averaging 22.1 points since the All-Star Break, which is second only to James Harden amongst shooting guards… Kyle Lowry is averaging a career-high-tying 17.9 points and team highs in both assists (6.9) and steals (1.55) this season for Toronto. Lowry has missed eight of Toronto’s last nine games after suffering a back contusion against Minnesota on Mar. 18 and is questionable to play against Charlotte on Apr. 8. The Raptors are 5-6 this season without Lowry…. Jonas Valančiūnas is ranked third in the NBA in field-goal percentage with a career-high 57.0 percent and is also averaging a career-high 12.3 points and a team-high in both rebounds (8.7) and blocks (1.20) this season for Toronto. The third-year center from Lithuania has scored in double figures in each of his last five games with averages of 16.4 points on 61.4 percent shooting and 8.6 rebounds over this stretch… Lou Williams is posting a career-high 15.4 points off the bench this season, which is third-highest on the Raptors. In the month of April, Williams is averaging 22.7 points which is ranked 12th overall in the NBA… Greivis Vásquez is averaging only 7.4 points on 35.9 percent shooting and 3.4 assists over his last five games as Toronto’s starting point guard… The Raptors are ranked fourth in the NBA in scoring (104.4), 22nd in points allowed (101.5) and 26th in rebounding (44.5)… Toronto has recorded back-to-back 45-win seasons for only the second time in team history (1999-00 and 2000-01)… Tyler Hansbrough was teammates with Lance Stephenson on the Indiana Pacers from 2010-13… Amir Johnson and Jason Maxiell played together on the Detroit Pistons from 2005-09… Brian Roberts played in New Orleans with Greivis Vásquez from 2012-13 and with Greg Stiemsma during the 2013-14 season… James Johnson and Troy Daniels were teammates on the Rio Grande Valley Vipers in the NBA D-League during the 2013-14 season.