by Chuck Sommers
Monday, Jan 03, 2022
Time: 7 p.m. ET
Venue: Capital One Arena, Washington, DC
Where to watch: NBCSWA, BSSE-CHA
Opening Odds at USA Sportsbooks
DraftKings: Wizards -1; Wizards -120, Hornets +100
BetMGM: Wizards -1.5; Wizards -120, Hornets +100
Caesars: NL
Season record
Hornets: 19-18 (7th place, East)
Wizards: 18-18 (8th place, East)
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Hornets - Wizards preview and analysis
Recent form
Hornets: lost 133-99 vs. Suns
Wizards: lost three of four; lost 120-119 vs. Bulls on Saturday
Just when we wanted to believe the Charlotte Hornets were turning the corner of consistency, they come back down to Earth in a hard way against the Phoenix Suns.
Now the Hornets play the second game of a back-to-back with travel against the Washington Wizards on Monday.
Charlotte had its three-game winning streak end on Sunday in a 34-point loss to the depleted Phoenix Suns on Sunday. The Hornets nearly emptied the bench with all but one player playing, but together the Hornets shot 45.9% from the floor and only 9 of 35 from 3-point range.
LaMelo Ball led the way with 17 points and only one assist; Terry Rozier was held to just 4 of 14 shooting after going for 35 points in his previous game against the Indiana Pacers.
"They got off to a great start and they were a hungrier team," Hornets coach James Borrego said. "They looked like a team that had lost three in a row and we looked like a team that had won three in row. They handled their loss better than we handled our win."
It was a game the Suns led by 43 at one point, which almost brings everything the Hornets worked for over the past week and a half to a screeching halt.
The good news for the Hornets is they might be the healthiest they've been in a long time. Miles Bridges returned from health and safety protocols on Sunday to score 10 points. The only one left on Charlotte's COVID list is young big man P.J. Washington. But the Hornets are getting healthy at the right time, and that's all you can hope for from a young team trying to get back to the playoffs.
But at least for the Hornets' sake they haven't been struggling as much as the depleted Wizards. Washington lost for the third time in four games on Saturday because DeMar DeRozan chose to haunt their dreams like he did the game before.
DeRozan's buzzer-beating 3-pointer gave the Chicago Bulls a 1-point victory for their seventh straight win and pushing the Bulls to a shocking top spot in the Eastern Conference.
"He just made a heck of a play. He was defended pretty well," Washington coach Wes Unseld Jr. said. "It's just tough. It's tough to lose a game like that."
Just when we wanted to believe the Charlotte Hornets were turning the corner of consistency, they come back down to Earth in a hard way against the Phoenix Suns.
Now the Hornets play the second game of a back-to-back with travel against the Washington Wizards on Monday.
Charlotte had its three-game winning streak end on Sunday in a 34-point loss to the depleted Phoenix Suns on Sunday. The Hornets nearly emptied the bench with all but one player playing, but together the Hornets shot 45.9% from the floor and only 9 of 35 from 3-point range.
LaMelo Ball led the way with 17 points and only one assist; Terry Rozier was held to just 4 of 14 shooting after going for 35 points in his previous game against the Indiana Pacers.
"They got off to a great start and they were a hungrier team," Hornets coach James Borrego said. "They looked like a team that had lost three in a row and we looked like a team that had won three in row. They handled their loss better than we handled our win."
It was a game the Suns led by 43 at one point, which almost brings everything the Hornets worked for over the past week and a half to a screeching halt.
The good news for the Hornets is they might be the healthiest they've been in a long time. Miles Bridges returned from health and safety protocols on Sunday to score 10 points. The only one left on Charlotte's COVID list is young big man P.J. Washington. But the Hornets are getting healthy at the right time, and that's all you can hope for from a young team trying to get back to the playoffs.
But at least for the Hornets' sake they haven't been struggling as much as the depleted Wizards. Washington lost for the third time in four games on Saturday because DeMar DeRozan chose to haunt their dreams like he did the game before.
DeRozan's buzzer-beating 3-pointer gave the Chicago Bulls a 1-point victory for their seventh straight win and pushing the Bulls to a shocking top spot in the Eastern Conference.
"He just made a heck of a play. He was defended pretty well," Washington coach Wes Unseld Jr. said. "It's just tough. It's tough to lose a game like that."
Kyle Kuzma led the Wizards with 29 points and 12 rebounds, while Bradley Beal had 27 points on 8 of 20 shooting and missed all four 3-pointer attempts. The Wizards shot 52.9% and still somehow lost with all five starters scoring double figures; the difference was 3-point shooting. Washington shot just 6 of 27 while the Bulls hit 17 of 34, with the 17th being the difference-maker.
The Wizards are dealing with a major COVID outbreak involving some important players. Starting point guard Spencer Dinwiddie and backups Brad Wannamaker and Aaron Holiday are out, leaving Joel Ayayi as the potential starter at point guard. Rui Hachimura, who was expected to make his season debut last week before going into protocol, and Montrezl Harrell are also out due to COVID.
The Wizards are dealing with a major COVID outbreak involving some important players. Starting point guard Spencer Dinwiddie and backups Brad Wannamaker and Aaron Holiday are out, leaving Joel Ayayi as the potential starter at point guard. Rui Hachimura, who was expected to make his season debut last week before going into protocol, and Montrezl Harrell are also out due to COVID.
Prediction
If it weren't for the fact the Hornets are on a back-to-back with travel, I'd feel better about taking Charlotte. But the line is essentially a pick to open, and I'd rather trust the home team for a situation like this. Wizards by 7
Betting trends
The Hornets are 5-0 ATS in their last five after giving up 125 points or more the previous game.
The Wizards are 5-0 ATS in their last five against teams with a straight-up winning record.
The Hornets are 5-0 ATS in the last five meetings.
Projected starting lineup
Hornets:
PG: LaMelo Ball
SG: Terry Rozier
SF: Gordon Hayward
PF: Miles Bridges
C: Mason Plumlee
SF: Gordon Hayward
PF: Miles Bridges
C: Mason Plumlee
Wizards:
PG: Joel Ayayi
SG: Bradley Beal
SF: Kentavious Caldwell-Pope
PF: Kyle Kuzma
C: Daniel Gafford
SF: Kentavious Caldwell-Pope
PF: Kyle Kuzma
C: Daniel Gafford
Key injuries
Hornets: P.J. Washington (COVID, out)
Wizards: COVID -- Spencer Dinwiddie, Rui Hachimura, Montrezl Harrell, Aaron Holiday, Thomas Bryant (knee), Raul Neto, Brad Wannamaker, Anthony Gill
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Chuck Sommers
About the Author:
Chuck Sommers has camped outside of sportsbooks since he can remember, learning the tricks and nuances of the trade. He still has nightmares of betting $5,000 on the Raiders in the Tuck Rule game but has since turned that to 25 years of veteran handicapping greatness. You can find him mostly in the shadows at the Red Rock or Aliante casinos wondering if the over is cashing on any given Sunday.
