Charlotte’s defense — the reason they were surprising teams and winning games early in the season — has been inconsistent of late.
Michael Kidd-Gilchrist could help change that — after being out with a fractured hand since the first week of December, he is set to return to the Charlotte lineup on Tuesday night against the Knicks, reports Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer. Kidd-Gilchrist will wear a protective glove on his hand.
He’s not getting eased back in, either — first night back, he gets to guard Carmelo Anthony. And it is not lightening up from there.
Steve Clifford hopes MKG is up to playing 26 to 28 minutes per game this week.
— Rick Bonnell (@rick_bonnell) January 14, 2014
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Charlotte has lost eight of their last 10 and during that time has surrendered 109.5 points per 100 possessions — the first 20 games of the season they allowed 97.5. The loss of Kidd-Gilchrist and Jeffery Taylor (Achilles) had a lot to do with that.
We’ll see if Kidd-Gilchrist can help swing the Bobcats’ fortunes around.