Charlotte faces Portland, aims to end 4-game slide
Charlotte Hornets (15-27, ninth in the Eastern Conference) vs. Portland Trail Blazers (16-24, 11th in the Western Conference)
Portland; Monday, 10 p.m. EST
BOTTOM LINE: Charlotte heads into the matchup with Portland after losing four in a row.
The Trail Blazers are 8-10 on their home court. Portland has a 4-2 record in games decided by less than 4 points.
The Hornets have gone 8-14 away from home. Charlotte is 6-15 when turning the ball over more than opponents and averages 15.2 turnovers per game.
The matchup Monday is the first meeting of the season for the two teams.
TOP PERFORMERS: Damian Lillard leads the Trail Blazers scoring 26.7 points per game and averaging 4.1 rebounds and 7.6 assists. Carmelo Anthony has averaged 5.9 rebounds and added 16.6 points per game over the last 10 games for Portland.
Devonte' Graham leads the Hornets averaging 7.7 assists while scoring 18.6 points per game. Bismack Biyombo has averaged 7.1 rebounds and added 8.4 points per game over the last 10 games for Charlotte.
LAST 10 GAMES: Trail Blazers: 2-8, averaging 107.5 points, 43.4 rebounds, 18.1 assists, 5.5 steals and 5.6 blocks per game while shooting 43.8 percent from the field. Their opponents have averaged 115.2 points on 47.1 percent shooting.
Hornets: 2-8, averaging 102.1 points, 41.8 rebounds, 24.8 assists, 6.1 steals and 3.7 blocks per game while shooting 43.7 percent from the field. Their opponents have averaged 111.1 points on 48.7 percent shooting.
INJURIES: Trail Blazers: Hassan Whiteside: day to day (illness), Jusuf Nurkic: out (leg fracture), Skal Labissiere: out (knee), Zach Collins: out (shoulder), Rodney Hood: out for season (leg).
Hornets: None listed.