Charlotte Hornets (9-24) vs. Portland Trail Blazers (17-16)
The 2022-23 NBA season goes on Monday, December 26, with the Charlotte Hornets facing off against the Portland Trail Blazers in the cross-conference battle at Moda Center in Portland, Oregon, with the tip-off at 10:00 PM ET.
Charlotte and Portland lock horns for the second and final time this regular season, and the Trail Blazers eye their third straight victory over the Hornets. Portland beat Charlotte 105-95 as a 2-point road fave in November. The Blazers open as 6-point home favorites this time around, while the totals are listed at 238.5 points.
The Charlotte Hornets (9-24; 15-17-1 ATS) are coming off a 134-130 road victory over the Los Angeles Lakers. It was their second victory in three games, and the Hornets, who own the lowest offensive rating in the NBA, made 55.3% of their field goals (16-for-41 from deep) and handed out 30 assists.
PJ Washington dropped 24 points on the Lakers while posting five rebounds, four assists, and a couple of steals and blocks. Lonzo Ball and Terry Rozier accounted for 23 points apiece, while Gordon Hayward notched 15 points and a plus-14 net rating. The Hornets yielded a whopping 43 points in the fourth quarter and nearly blew a double-digit lead.
“We knew they were going to make a run,” said Mason Plumlee, who had 11 points and eight rebounds. “They’ve got a lot of good players, but we answered the call.”
.@PJWashington THROWS. IT. DOWN. ??#LetsFly | @drpepper pic.twitter.com/FkU2AHw0gL
— Charlotte Hornets (@hornets) December 24, 2022
The Hornets own the second-worst record in the NBA. They are 29th in the league in field goal percentage (44.7%) and dead last in 3-point percentage (32.6%). Charlotte allows 115.5 points per 100 possessions (27th in the NBA) on 48.1% shooting from the field (tied-24th) and 36.4% from beyond the 3-point line (tied-20th).
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