1. Can Anyone Get A Stop?
Fans should be in for a high-scoring affair as both the Charlotte Hornets and Atlanta Hawks possess explosive offenses that are paired with underwhelming defenses. This matchup could very well come down to whoever has the ball last.
Atlanta had the second-best offensive rating in the NBA this season with a 116.5, behind only the 116.7 that the Utah Jazz had. Charlotte was ninth with an offensive rating of 114.1, so both teams can fill it up. Defensively, however, they leave a lot to be desired.
The Hawks are ranked 26th in defensive rating with a 114.9. That has plagued them, especially in the open court, as they are sometimes slow transitioning into their defense from offense. Part of that can be blamed on cross matchups, as they hide Young as much as possible. At No. 23, the Hornets come in with a defensive rating of 113.7.
That is a decent improvement for Charlotte, who was near the very bottom of the league in the early part of the season. Once they started finding a little more success on that end of the court, the wins started coming more frequently.
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While offensive highlights garner the most attention, the name of the game is still defense. You need to get stops to win and whoever can figure things out on that end of the court in this matchup will be victorious.
