Nets Vs. Hornets: Can Brooklyn Finally Give The Home Crowd Something To Cheer About?

Before we get into Wednesday night’s matchup, I just wanted to say how great it feels to be back writing for NetsDaily. It’s an honor to be part of this talented group and to have the opportunity to cover this team again.

Now, let’s talk some basketball.

The Brooklyn Nets are back home Wednesday night, and they’ll be looking to do something they haven’t done all season: win a basketball game at Barclays Center.

Baby steps, right?

After finally breaking into the win column against the Indiana Pacers on Sunday, the Nets came crashing back down to earth Monday night, falling 103-90 to the New York Knicks. They’ve lost 15 straight games to the crosstown rivals and defending champions.

The good news? Brooklyn’s next opponent isn’t exactly setting the NBA on fire.

Enter the Charlotte Hornets, who have lost four straight, including an ugly 33-point loss to the Detroit Pistons on Monday. Between these two teams, somebody has to walk away feeling good about themselves Wednesday night.

Game Information

• Who: Charlotte Hornets (3-5) at Brooklyn Nets (1-6)
• When: 7:30 p.m. ET
• Where: Barclays Center, Brooklyn, NY
• TV: YES Network

The Game

Look, nobody came into this season expecting the Nets to compete for an NBA championship. Heck, winning games was probably pretty far down the list of expectations.

But that doesn’t mean we can’t ask for a little entertaining basketball along the way. Brooklyn returns to Barclays Center on Wednesday night, hoping to give its home crowd its first win of the season. 

They’re 0-3 at home with losses against the depleted Hornets, Pacers, and Pistons. Two out of three were by double digits.

Brooklyn has struggled to find its offensive rhythm, failing to reach the century mark in three consecutive games. Monday’s fourth quarter against the Knicks was particularly rough, with the Nets managing just 11 points over the final 12 minutes.

Not exactly a recipe for success.

Still, there have been some bright spots. Nolan Traoré poured in 17 points against New York, while Mikel Brown Jr. chipped in 13 off the bench. For a team focused on developing its young talent, those are the kinds of performances worth keeping an eye on.

And if there’s one thing that could help Brooklyn’s offense Wednesday, it’s Charlotte’s generosity with the basketball.

The Hornets committed a whopping 27 turnovers against Detroit and have committed 82 turnovers during their four-game losing streak. That’s a whole lot of extra possessions waiting to be claimed.

In the first matchup between the two teams, Charlotte dominated the inside and defeated Brooklyn 110-103, without Kon Knueppel, Grant Williams and Coby White. 

On the flip side, Brooklyn forced 21 turnovers in that matchup. If the Nets can create that kind of disruption again, they’ll give themselves a much better chance this time around.

Injury Report

Brooklyn Nets

• Egor Dëmin — OUT (Right Leg Bone Bruise)
• Drake Powell — OUT (G League Assignment)
• Joshua Jefferson — OUT (G League Assignment)
• Ben Saraf — OUT (G League Assignment)
• Tyler Bilodeau — OUT (G League, Two-Way)
• Grant Nelson — OUT (G League, Two-Way)

Charlotte Hornets

• Kon Knueppel — PROBABLE (Left Hamstring Strain)
• Coby White — PROBABLE (Left Calf Injury Management)
• Grant Williams — OUT (Right Hamstring)

Player to Watch: Brandon Miller

Remember when Brandon Miller was considered a controversial pick over Scoot Henderson in the 2023 NBA Draft?

Yeah, that conversation has aged pretty well for Charlotte.

Miller is averaging 23.5 points per game to begin the season. Even though he’s shooting just 37.8% from the field this season, he’s capable of turning it around in the blink of an eye. Brooklyn is a team he might look to get back on track against. Charlotte won the game but Miller finished with 18 points on 7-of-21 shooting and 3-of-14 from three.  

Since then, he’s connected on just 22 of his last 62 field-goal attempts, so the Nets will certainly be hoping those shooting struggles make the trip to Brooklyn. Of course, knowing how these things tend to go, this would be the night he suddenly can’t miss.

Either way, Wednesday presents a pretty reasonable opportunity for Brooklyn to pick up win No. 2. For those making the trip to Barclays Center, maybe even something to celebrate on the subway ride home. It’s probably overdue.

More reading: At the Hive, Sports Illustrated, SB Nation NBA, New York Post, New York Daily News, Clutch Points, Nets Wire, Nets Insider, SNY, Yahoo Sports, CBS Sports, Steve’s Newsletter

• Brooklyn Nets Game Notes – Brooklyn Nets
• Charlotte Hornets Game Notes – Charlotte Hornets
• How Nolan Traoré is evolving into a leader the Nets can count on ($) – Brian Lewis – New York Post
• The troubling Nets trend holding them back for yet another year – Howie Kussoy – New York Post
• Nets’ Josh Minott has done ‘nothing wrong,’ but can’t get on the floor ($) – C.J. Holmes – New York Daily News
• Sophomore point guard emerging as silver lining for Nets amid disappointing 1-6 start – Erik Slater – Clutch Points