The Charlotte Hornets play host to the Brooklyn Nets at Spectrum Center on Saturday.

The Nets (30-30) come into this matchup losing six of their last eight games, as they're slowly losing their grip on the playoffs. In fact, the Orlando Magic and Miami Heat in ninth and 10th-place are now within three games of the Nets. That's too close of a margin for a team that hasn't reached the postseason in nearly a decade and missing out would be a huge disappointment at this point. Just missing the playoffs would have been considered a success at the beginning of the year though, as the growth of this team can't be understated. Players like D'Angelo Russell, Jarrett Allen, Spencer Dinwiddie and Caris LeVert have made huge strides this season, as that's considered the core of the future for this growing franchise.

The Hornets (28-30) bread and butter this season has been their home form, as they are 20-9 at Spectrum Center this season. The recent form is a bit discouraging though, as the Hornets come into this matchup losing four of their last six games. That followed up a stretch in which Charlotte won seven of their previous 10 games and it's hard to figure out how good this team is with their inconsistency. A huge reason for that is their lackluster role players, as Kemba Walker is carrying the load. He currently leads this team with 24.9 points and 5.6 assists per game, as he could desperately use some help in the final two months.

The first two games between these teams were split, with the home team prevailing in each outing. They were very different styles, with Brooklyn winning the first game, 134-132 and Charlotte winning the most recent outing, 100-87.