PREVIEW: The Charlotte Hornets (13-25) travel to Salt Lake City to face the Utah Jazz (13-24) , with both squads searching for consistency near the bottom of their respective conferences. Charlotte enters looking to snap a two-game losing streak under head coach Charles Lee , while Utah comes off a narrow victory against Dallas under Will Hardy. Charlotte's offense thrives from deep with the fourth-ranked three-point attempt rate at 46.1 percent, complemented by efficient free throw shooting , yet the team struggles with tempo control and attacking the rim efficiently. Meanwhile, Utah ranks fourth in quick tempo and effectively limits rim attacks on defense, though they allow the 26th-most three-point attempts and rank dead last in three-point shooting efficiency. The Hornets counter with three capable scorers in LaMelo Ball averaging 20.0 points per game, Miles Bridges at 19.9, and Brandon Miller at 19.4 , though rotation questions linger with Grant Williams making his season debut on heavy restrictions and Ryan Kalkbrenner returning from a 10-game absence with minutes limitations, while Mason Plumlee remains sidelined until mid-February. Utah leans heavily on Lauri Markkanen's elite scoring of 27.9 points per game and Keyonte George's emergence as a secondary creator with 24.1 points and 6.9 assists. Charlotte's 6-13 road record presents a significant concern despite their status as favorites, as the team barely exceeds .300 in hostile environments. Utah sits 9-11 at home but shows meaningful separation from their road struggles, and momentum following their five-game winning streak could provide added confidence in their own building.