What: Charlotte Hornets (2-1) (1-1 home) vs Washington Wizards (2-1) (1-0 away)

When: 7:00pm Eastern

Where: Spectrum Center; Charlotte, NC

How to watch: Local TV (TV 64 in Charlotte), DAZN, NBA League Pass

Outfitting: Hornets–Association (white), Wizards–Statement (navy)

Injuries:
Hornets: Kon Knueppel-out (hamstring), Coby White-out (calf), Grant Williams-out (hamstring)

Wizards: AJ Dybantsa-out (ankle), Tristan Vukcevic-out (hip), Jamir Watkins-out (knee)

I think it’s interesting that the Hornets are favored tonight. They’re down two starters while the Wizards are only missing rookie AJ Dybantsa. They do have Trae Young and Anthony Davis, and they’re 2-1, but I guess the Hornets are still supposed to be the better team.

The Wizards have done exactly what they should so far. They’ve played two games against teams expected to be at the bottom of the Eastern Conference (Bucks and Bulls) and one game against a possible contender (Raptors). They won both games against the rebuilders and lost the game against the competitor. None of the games have been particularly convincing in any direction.

Trae Young and Anthony Davis are unsurprisingly the team’s leading scorers and shot takers. Neither has been very efficient from the floor, especially Young, but both are making up for it by getting to the free throw line, especially Young. Kyshawn George and Tre Johnson add some extra scoring punch while Bilal Couilbaly, Justin Champagnie, and Bub Carrington add some feistiness. Alex Sarr is supposed to be the young guy that completes the core, but he’s had a quiet start to the season. He seems to be struggling to find where he fits in with the new veterans.

The Hornets have the league’s least efficient offense through three games, but they’ve been able to grit their way to a couple of wins. The Wizards have been extraordinarily meh through three games, so there’s a chance to do the same thing again.