Game Details

What: Charlotte Hornets (10-32) (5-14 home) vs. Houston Rockets (20-23) (4-15 away)

When: 7:00pm Eastern

Where: Spectrum Center; Charlotte, N.C.

How to watch: Bally Sports Southeast, NBA League Pass

Outfitting: Hornets–Classic (teal), Rockets–Association (white)

Game Lines: Hornets +5.5, O/U 226.5

Injuries:

Hornets: Gordon Hayward (calf strain), OUT; Mark Williams (back) OUT.

Rockets: Reggie Bullock Jr. (lower back strain), QUESTIONABLE; Tari Eason (left leg), OUT; Victor Oladipo (knee), OUT; Jae’Sean Tate (left wrist strain), QUESTIONABLE.

The Charlotte Hornets are back at The Hive after a two-game road trip. During the Midwestern swing, the Hornets beat the best team in the Western Conference with the best defense in the NBA, and promptly followed that up with a loss to one of the worst teams in NBA history.

Tonight, Charlotte looks to claim its first victory since the Terry Rozier era came to an undeservedly anti-climactic close early this week. In a rare occurrence, the Hornets might be in a good spot to eek out a win; the Rockets have lost two-straight and seven of the last nine, and are 4-15 away from the Toyota Center this season. For a frame of reference, the Hornets are 5-18 on the road. Houston has struggled mightily over the last few weeks, especially as the visiting team.

With Tari Eason and Jae’Sean Tate sidelined, the Rockets have leaned heavily on its starting lineup with rookies Amen Thompson and Cam Whitmore contributing off the bench. Fred VanVleet has played more than 40 minutes in two of the last three games, including 46 in an overtime loss to Portland last time out. The 37-year-old Jeff Green played 38 minutes in that game, and Jalen Green and Alperen Şengün each played 39. There’s a strong chance the Rockets are tired after traveling cross-country to be in Charlotte for tonight’s game.

Şengün and Green are Houston’s leading scorers at 22.1 and 17.4 points, respectively, and are the only Rockets to participate in all 43 games thus far. The veteran additions of VanVleet and Dillon Brooks have filled in the gaps, helping organize the young squad and building a top-10 defense in the process. The only problem — the offense can turn into a slog (a common theme among Ime Udoka-coached teams) and the Rockets are 24th in true shooting percentage. There are some data points for Charlotte to exploit here.