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After losing against the Philadelphia 76ers in their last outing, the Brooklyn Nets will lock horns with the Charlotte Hornets at the Barclays Center on Friday. Kyrie Irving will be leading the Brooklyn Nets once again, and he may be joined by Kevin Durant, who did not play on Wednesday night.
The Charlotte Hornets, meanwhile, come into this matchup on the back of three straight losses and have failed to score more than 101 points in five of their last eight games this season.
Match Details
Fixture - Charlotte Hornets vs Brooklyn Nets | 2020-21 NBA Season.
Date & Time - Friday, April 16th; 7:30 PM ET (Saturday, April 17th; 5:00 AM IST).
Venue - Barclays Center, Brooklyn, NY.
Charlotte Hornets Preview
After losing yet another star - Gordon Hayward - to injury, the Charlotte Hornets are descending down the Eastern Conference standings after losing three games in a row.
Considering the merry-go-round in the East, the Charlotte Hornets could turn around their fortunes and finish with an automatic playoff berth, as they have many 'winnable' games ahead. However, their offense has looked lacklustre of late.
Their offense has suffered, as the likes of Gordon Hayward and LaMelo Ball are currently sidelined, as well as back-up guard Malik Monk, who provides 13 points a night from the bench.
Terry Rozier and Miles Bridges are doing their best to take up the offensive load. But there will be a few desperate weeks ahead for the Charlotte Hornets as they look to hold home-court advantage for the play-in tournament.
Key Player - Terry Rozier
Not only has Terry Rozier stepped up recently, but the 27-year-old guard is also having a career season for the Charlotte Hornets. He has started in all but three games this season and is leading his teammates in points per night (20.3).
In the Charlotte Hornets' last ten games, Rozier has averaged 19.4 points and has shot the ball at 40.3% from the field. He has also grabbed well above his regular tally of rebounds, with 5.9 per night, and has also picked up 1.2 steals.
Charlotte Hornets Predicted Lineup
Point Guard - Devonte' Graham l Shooting Guard - Terry Rozier l Small Forward - Jalen McDaniels l Power Forward - Miles Bridges l Center - Bismack Biyombo.
Brooklyn Nets Preview
The Brooklyn Nets' dominance in the paint suffered a setback on Thursday when veteran center LaMarcus Aldridge announced that he is retiring from the NBA.
His shock declaration came after experiencing heart irregularities in the Brooklyn Nets' loss to the LA Lakers over the weekend. He subsequently felt that he could no longer compete and has instead decided to put his health and family first.
As a result, DeAndre Jordan will have to play more minutes than he has been doing recently, especially with fellow big man Nicolas Claxton sidelined due to a hand injury.
If the performances of Kyrie Irving or James Harden this season are anything to go by, the Brooklyn Nets could still outscore their opponents once all three of their superstars play together.
The Brooklyn Nets rotation put up a strong fight against the Conference's leading side, Philadelphia 76ers, and are continuing to prove they could be a force to reckon with come the playoffs.
Key Player - Kyrie Irving
Without Kevin Durant or James Harden on Wednesday, it was up to Kyrie Irving to lead the Brooklyn Nets against a fully fit Philadelphia 76ers. The diminutive point guard did his best to rally his Nets teammates on the night, putting up an almighty 37 points, nine assists and two steals, but that eventually wasn't enough.
After missing the win over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Monday, Kyrie Irving returned to the starting lineup as the Brooklyn Nets top scorer throughout April. Since the start of the month, the 29 year-old has averaged 26.3 points and 7.5 assists on a 50.4% field-goal accuracy.
Kyrie Irving is having a stellar campaign for the title contenders, putting up a career-high points tally per game, doing so at a career-best shooting percentage. Once the Brooklyn Nets get all their three stars on the floor together, they could become unstoppable.
Brooklyn Nets Predicted Lineup
Point Guard - Kyrie Irving l Shooting Guard - Joe Harris l Small Forward - Kevin Durant l Power Forward - Jeff Green l Center - DeAndre Jordan.
Hornets vs Nets Match Prediction
The Charlotte Hornets are going backwards at the moment, struggling without two of their stars.
While their defense has been solid recently, they haven't faced particularly explosive offenses like that of the Brooklyn Nets. If both Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving take to the floor, the Nets could walk away from this game as comfortable winners.
The last time these two sides met at the start of April, the Brooklyn Nets, who were without Harden and Durant, blew away the Charlotte Hornets 111-89.
Where to watch the Hornets vs Nets Matchup?
This match between the Hornets and the Nets will be broadcast locally on Bally Sports Southeast and the Yes network. The game can also be streamed live with an NBA League Pass.
