Where the Hornets Stand Right Now
Record: 37-34 | Seed: 10th in the Eastern Conference | Games remaining: 11
The Charlotte Hornets are in the play-in tournament picture with 11 games left in the regular season. After starting the year 4-14, a mid-season turnaround — anchored by a franchise-best nine-game winning streak from January 22 to February 7 — has put Charlotte in position to reach the postseason for the first time since 2016.
That is not a typo. The Hornets have not made the playoffs in a decade. (How did this turnaround happen? John Speedway has thoughts.)
Latest Result: Hornets 124, Grizzlies 101 (March 21)
LaMelo Ball dropped 29 points on 7-of-14 shooting from three-point range. Brandon Miller added 22. Moussa Diabate grabbed 14 rebounds and scored 11 for a double-double. Miles Bridges chipped in 13. The Hornets led by one after the first quarter, blew it open with a 29-21 second quarter, then buried Memphis with a 38-28 third.
Three straight wins. Five of the last six. Charlotte is 21-6 since January 22.
The Grizzlies have lost 10 of their last 11. This was not a close game at any point in the second half.
The Play-In Picture (Updated March 22)
The Eastern Conference play-in race has reshuffled since this tracker launched. Here is where it stands:
| Seed | Team | Record | GB from 7th |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | Atlanta Hawks | 39-32 | — |
| 7 | Philadelphia 76ers | 39-32 | — |
| 8 | Orlando Magic | 38-32 | 1 |
| 9 | Miami Heat | 38-33 | 1.5 |
| 10 | Charlotte Hornets | 37-34 | 2 |
What this means: If the season ended today, the Hornets would play the Heat in the 9-vs-10 play-in game in Miami. The loser of that game is eliminated. The winner advances to face the loser of 76ers-vs-Magic for the 8th seed.
That matchup has changed from the initial tracker. Philadelphia climbed from the 9 seed to the 7, and Atlanta entered the play-in picture at 6. Charlotte's first opponent is now Miami, not Philly.
Charlotte is one game behind the 9th-seeded Heat. Catching Miami flips the equation: home court for the elimination game, plus a second chance if they lose.
How the Play-In Tournament Works
The NBA Play-In Tournament runs April 14-17, between the end of the regular season (April 12) and the start of the first round of the playoffs.
The format:
- Game 1 (April 14): No. 7 Philadelphia hosts No. 8 Orlando. The winner locks in the 7th seed.
- Game 2 (April 14): No. 9 Miami hosts No. 10 Charlotte. The loser is eliminated.
- Game 3 (April 16 or 17): The Game 1 loser hosts the Game 2 winner. The winner gets the 8th seed.
For the Hornets at the 10th seed, the margin is razor-thin. They get one game — likely on the road in Miami — and a loss ends the season. There is no second chance from the 10 seed.
Climbing to the 9th seed changes the math: home court for that elimination game, plus a second chance if they lose (they'd face the 7-vs-8 loser for the 8th seed).
The Remaining Schedule
The Hornets have 11 games left. Here is the stretch run:
| Date | Opponent | Location | Result/Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| W 124-101 — Ball 29 pts, Miller 22 pts | |||
| March 24 | Sacramento Kings | Home | Kings fighting for Western play-in spot |
| March 26 | New York Knicks | Away | Tough road game against a top-4 seed |
| March 28 | Philadelphia 76ers | Away | Play-in positioning game — could preview a 7-vs-10 matchup |
| March 29 | Boston Celtics | Away | Back-to-back in Boston — the hardest game on the schedule |
| April 2 | Phoenix Suns | Home | West team in town — take care of home court |
| April 4 | TBD | — | — |
| April 6 | Minnesota Timberwolves | Away | Tough road test |
| April 8 | Boston Celtics | Away | Second trip to Boston in two weeks |
| April 10-12 | Final games | — | Seeding scenarios could make these must-wins |
The critical stretch: March 28 at Philadelphia matters more now than it did two days ago. With the 76ers at 39-32 and Charlotte at 37-34, a Hornets win in Philly narrows the 7-seed gap to one game and signals Charlotte can win on the road against the teams it might face in the play-in. More immediately, the March 28 and March 29 back-to-back in Philadelphia and Boston is the defining weekend. Go 1-1 and the Hornets hold position. Go 0-2 and the 10 seed starts to feel permanent.
The Key Players Driving This Push
LaMelo Ball — Torched the Grizzlies for 29 points on 7-of-14 from deep on March 21. Ball has played 60 of 71 games — his healthiest season as a pro. Hit 6,000 career points on March 17 against Miami. Seven double-doubles and a triple-double this season. Ball's playmaking is the engine of everything Charlotte does offensively, and right now it's running hot.
Brandon Miller — The 2023 No. 2 overall pick is in his third year and has taken a significant leap. Miller's 22 points against Memphis continued a stretch of consistent scoring that has been central to the mid-season turnaround.
Moussa Diabate — Posted a 14-rebound, 11-point double-double against Memphis. The kind of interior presence Charlotte needs against bigger play-in opponents.
Miles Bridges — Averaging a double-double and providing the veteran presence this young roster needs down the stretch. Added 13 against Memphis.
Collin Sexton & Spencer Dinwiddie — The veteran guard additions made to complement the Ball-Miller core — Sexton signed under former GM Mitch Kupchak; current GM Jeff Peterson has continued building around the core. Sexton's scoring punch off the bench and Dinwiddie's playoff experience are exactly what a play-in push requires.
The Nine-Game Streak That Changed Everything
From January 22 to February 7, the Hornets won nine straight: Orlando (127-97), Washington (119-115), Philadelphia (130-93), Memphis (112-97), Dallas (123-121), San Antonio (111-106), New Orleans (102-95), Houston (109-99), and Atlanta (126-119).
It was the franchise's longest winning streak since the 1997-98 season and the second-longest in team history (trailing only 10 straight in 1998).
The most remarkable stat from that run: the Hornets were the first team in NBA history to win nine consecutive games without getting a single point from any player age 28 or older. This team is young. And this team is getting better.
Detroit snapped the streak on February 9 in a game that included a fight and four ejections. The Hornets didn't collapse after. They kept winning. That's the difference between a team on a heater and a team that's actually good.
What to Watch
Can they catch Miami for the 9 seed? One game separates the Hornets (37-34) from the Heat (38-33). Every Charlotte win and every Miami loss tightens the gap. The margin is small enough that a strong week could flip the seeding entirely.
The Philly game on March 28. Two games separate Charlotte from the 76ers. A win in Philadelphia narrows that to one and sends a message — the Hornets can beat play-in caliber teams on the road. If the seedings hold, Charlotte could face the 7-8 loser (potentially Philly) in the second play-in game. A March 28 win plants a seed of doubt.
LaMelo's health. Ball has played 60 of 71 games — his healthiest season as a pro. If he stays on the floor for the final 11, Charlotte is dangerous. The 29-point explosion against Memphis was a reminder of what happens when Ball is locked in.
The Boston problem. Two of the final 11 games are in Boston. The Celtics are the class of the East. Charlotte likely needs to go 7-4 or better in this stretch to hold the 10 seed, and 8-3 or better to make a real push for the 9.
A decade of waiting. Charlotte has not made the postseason since losing to Miami in seven games in 2016. That's 10 years. An entire generation of Hornets fans has never seen their team in a playoff game. The play-in isn't the Finals. But for this city, it would mean everything. (The Hornets aren't even the only Charlotte team on a run — the Checkers just clinched their seventh straight playoff spot. Something is happening here.)
Update Log
March 21 — Hornets demolish Memphis 124-101. LaMelo Ball 29 points (7-14 from three). Record moves to 37-34. Three straight wins, 21-6 since January 22. Play-in picture reshuffled: Charlotte now projected to face Miami in 9-vs-10, not Philadelphia. One game behind the Heat for the 9 seed.
March 20 — Initial tracker published. Hornets at 36-34, 10th in the East. 12 games remaining. Play-in tournament begins April 14.
This article is updated after every Hornets game through the end of the play-in tournament. Bookmark it.
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