Charlotte Hornets vs Houston Rockets: Predictions, Odds and Roster Notes

What: Charlotte Hornets at Houston Rockets

Where: Toyota Center in Houston, TX

When: Monday, March 11th at 8:00 PM EST

How (TV/Radio): NBATV, Fox Sports Southeast – Charlotte, AT&T Sportsnet – Southwest | 790 AM

Charlotte Hornets (Away)

Head Coach: James Borrego {All-Time 40-55 | ORL, CHA}

The Charlotte Hornets are fighting for their playoff lives when they take on the red-hot Houston Rockets. Charlotte sits tenth in the NBA’s Eastern Conference with a record of 30-36. While they are only a game back of the Heat in eighth, they need to overcome their own adversaries and hope their rivals drop some games in order to be back in the playoff mix.

Unfortunately for the Hornets they have been folding under the pressure. Over the last ten games, Charlotte has gone 3-7 and own a -0.8 point differential. Key losses to the Bucks, Heat, and Blazers cap their poor run. It is bleak for the Hornets, but in the East, they are never too far out of it.

The Charlotte Hornets take on a Houston Rockets team that can score with the best of the league. If the team is off, James Harden has proven he’s good to take on 50% of the teams scoring load. What is important for the Hornets is to initiate their own offense. While it can be easy to get lost in stopping the Rockets’ outside attack, the Hornets have stalled at times facing their own scoring opportunities.

Houston Rockets (Home)

Head Coach: Mike D’Antoni {All-Time 615-495 | DEN, PHX, NYK, LAL, HOU}

Up, up, and away for the Houston Rockets! Houston is riding high on their current eight-game win streak and don’t look to be slowing down anytime soon. With a record of 41-25, the Houston Rockets are ranked third in the Western Conference and hope to even push the Denver Nuggets for second.

The Rockets are 8-2 in their last ten games and are looking to extend their current streak. After a reality check in back-to-back losses against the Timberwolves and Lakers, the Rockets are yet to lose. They face a desperate Charlotte team who are certain to throw their whole arsenal against them.

The Houston Rockets are surely eager to take care of business against the Charlotte Hornets. After Charlotte, the Rockets will not face another plus-.500 team until March 22nd. While James Harden has led the team all season, now is the time for the Rockets to really blend in those new pieces in order to be prepared for the upcoming playoffs.

What’s At Stake?

The all-time series between the Charlotte Hornets and the Houston Rockets has been incredibly one-sided. In 58 regular season games, the Houston Rockets lead the Charlotte Hornets 44-14.

A win for the Hornets would bring them to level with the Orlando Magic and just a game out of the eighth spot in the Eastern Conference.

A win for the Rockets would give them a whole game lead over the Oklahoma City Thunder who are fourth in the Western Conference.

Questions to answer

Are the Hornets done?

The Rockets Showed Their Versatility

We are going to compare the Charlotte Hornets and the Houston Rockets in an attempt to see who has the advantage in this matchup.

The Hornets Lost To The Bucks Again In The Fourth

For the second time in as many trips to Milwaukee, the Charlotte Hornets have come up on the wrong side of the win-loss column. The Hornets played the Bucks admirably for the first three quarters, unfortunately, they failed to execute in the crucial fourth quarter.

After halftime the Hornets were up four points, but that would spell their downfall as Charlotte allowed the Bucks to score 39 points in the third quarter alone. Kemba Walkers had 25 points, Kaminsky had 16, and Bridges and Lamb had 15 points. So what went wrong for the Bucks?

The Hornets’ defense has always been shakey, but it failed in the final three quarters. Shockingly the Hornets did not play their most capable defender Bismack Biyombo in their most recent match. The Hornets are still in the playoff race, but their window of opportunity is closing. The Miami Heat have a game lead on them and they are still behind the Orland Magic. Walker will need to will his team forward if they want to see the post-season.

The Rockets Ground For A Win Over The Mavs

It was a style of basketball you rarely see from the Houston Rockets, but in a necessary turn of fortune for the Rockets a grit-n-grind approach took the day against their Texas rivals the Dallas Mavericks.

Harden received his fifth foul in the third quarter and Chris Paul was poor from the field, but the team needed to win by only a point and they did. Paul’s poor offensive showing will be made up for by his game-saving block and James Harden’s scoring woes still netted him 20-points to keep his streak going.

There’s a lot to take away for the Houston Rockets. Iman Shumpert looked lost, Eric Gordon played well, PJ Tucker was his usual gritty self, and Faried and Clark both missed the game. With so many ups and downs, it is likely a positive that the Rockets took a win in this tough affair. They’ve shown in past playoff series that they can fold when their shooting isn’t available so this night against the Mavericks was a promising performance.

Charlotte Hornets Roster Notes

C Bismack Biyombo – 8 Mar 2019 – Day To Day (Knee) – Biyombo did not play in Friday’s game (Mar. 8) against the Wizards.

Houston Rockets Roster Notes

F-C Kenneth Faried – 8 Mar 2019 – Day To Day (Hip) – Faried did not play in Friday’s game (Mar. 8) against the 76ers.

G James Harden – 8 Mar 2019 – Day To Day (Right Wrist) – Harden will undergo a precautionary X-Ray on his wrist according to Tim MacMahon of ESPN.

Head-to-Head: Kemba Walker (CHA) vs James Harden (HOU)

Look no further than the offensive catalysts for their respective sides. Kemba Walker and James Harden are two of the best players at their position in terms of scoring the ball. They will also be responsible for involving their teammates, as the offensive burden can grow troublesome and predictable depending on the team’s defense.

Kemba Walker

Point Guard | 6-1, 184lb (185cm, 83kg) | Conneticut | Exp. 7 Years

24.9 PPG | 5.8 APG | 4.2 RPG | 1.3 SPG | 0.4 BPG | 2.6 TOV | .426 FG% | .352 3P%

If dynamite was caught in a bottle and made into a human form it would be Kemba Walker. The Connecticut product for the Charlotte Hornets has had a wonderful season. He can score from anywhere on the court and is one of the most dangerous in the league off the screen and roll. There isn’t a single Rocket that can stop him one-on-one. Walker will need to have his playmakers cap on early to stifle any Houston pressure.

James Harden

Shooting Guard | 6-5, 220lb (196cm, 99kg) | Arizona State | Exp. 9 Years

36.4 PPG | 7.5 APG | 6.5 RPG | 2.2 SPG | 0.7 BPG | 5.2 TOV | .440 FG% | .362 3P%

The Houston Rockets are wisely having James Harden do an x-ray on a wrist aggravation. It should be nothing, but the Rockets can’t be too careful. In this game, Harden will be loaded defensively as he will be matched up with athletic wings in Nicolas Batum, Malik Monk, and Miles Bridges. He doesn’t defend a lick, but Harden has proven time and time again that his points scored usually overcomes his points allowed.

Charlotte Hornets at Houston Rockets Predictions and Odds

The odds makers have the Houston Rockets favored over the Charlotte Hornets by 9, with an over/under of 110.