Gordon Hayward scored 28 points in Charlotte’s win over Brooklyn on Dec. 27. The Hornets are 8-2 when Hayward scores more than 25 points.
Hornets (24-22) at Nets (33-15)
7:30 p.m. ET, TNT
• Brooklyn will be on the second night of a back-to-back on Thursday; so far this season, the Nets are 4-4 on zero days rest and have averaged just 111.6 points per game – down 7.5 ppg from their league-leading season average of 119.1.
• Charlotte won the first meeting with Brooklyn, 106-104 on Dec. 27, as Gordon Hayward led six Hornets in double figures with 28 points. Kevin Durant (29) and Kyrie Irving (25) combined for more than half of Brooklyn’s total points (54 of 104, 51.9%).
• Brooklyn (22-7) and Charlotte (16-6) are two of the top teams in clutch situations. The Nets lead the league with 22 clutch wins, with James Harden ranked fourth in clutch scoring (98 points). The Hornets lead the NBA in field goal percentage (52.0%) and 3-point percentage (48.5%), and have outscored their opponents by 81 points in 67 clutch minutes.
• The Nets (39.1%, 4th) and Hornets (38.4%, 6th) are two of the top 3-point shooting teams in the league. Joe Harris (158) and Terry Rozier (149) rank fifth and eighth, respectively, in 3-pointers made, with Harris ranked second in the league in accuracy at 48.9%.
• Blake Griffin has appeared in five games since making his Nets debut on March 21. The Nets are unbeaten in those five games and have outscored their opponents by 62 points in 95 minutes with Griffin on the court. Griffin is shooting 65.2% (15-23) from the field and 55.6% (5-9) from 3-point range.
Paul George led the Clippers with 23 points and nine assists in LA’s win over Denver on Christmas Day.
Nuggets (29-18) at Clippers (32-17)
10 p.m. ET, TNT
• In LA’s win over Denver on Christmas Day, the Clippers used the combo of Serge Ibaka (4:19, 34% of matchup time) and Ivica Zubac (3:56, 31.1% of matchup time) to try to slow down Nikola Jokic. Against Ibaka, Jokic had four points on 2-4 shooting, three assists and one turnover. Against Zubac, he had eight points on 3-4 shooting, 2-2 from the free throw line, one assist and one turnover.
• Nicolas Batum was the primary defender on Jamal Murray for a team-high 3:08 (25.4% of matchup time) and held Murray to just two points on 1-5 shooting from the field and 0-3 from 3-point range, and forced a turnover. Murray was more effective against Paul George as he scored nine points on 4-7 shooting in 2:08 of matchup time.
• Michael Porter Jr. ranks fifth in scoring among eligible second-year players, averaging 16.3 ppg, including 2.4 3-pointers made (1st in the sophomore class) while playing 29.8 minutes per contest (11th in the sophomore class).
• The Clippers (117.1) and Nuggets (116.8) rank second and third, respectively, in offensive efficiency this season. Both are ranked in the top five in 3-point percentage, with the Clippers first at 41.7% and the Nuggets fifth at 38.7%.
• Nikola Jokic ranks sixth in the league in assists (8.5 apg) and just 13th in potential assists (13.5 per game). Jokic’s teammates convert on 62.8% of his potential assists, which is the highest percentage of the 24 players in the league that average at least six assists per game.