Where the Hornets Stand Right Now
Record: 36-34 | Seed: 10th in the Eastern Conference | Games remaining: 12
The Charlotte Hornets are in the play-in tournament picture with 12 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.
The Play-In Picture (Updated March 20)
Here is where the Eastern Conference play-in seeds stand:
| Seed | Team | Record | GB from 7th |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7 | Orlando Magic | 38-28 | — |
| 8 | Miami Heat | 38-30 | — |
| 9 | Philadelphia 76ers | 38-32 | — |
| 10 | Charlotte Hornets | 36-34 | — |
What this means: If the season ended today, the Hornets would play the 76ers in the 9-vs-10 play-in game in Philadelphia. The loser of that game is eliminated. The winner advances to face the loser of Magic-vs-Heat for the 8th seed.
Charlotte needs to stay ahead of any team below them and ideally climb to the 9th seed to earn home court in the first play-in game.
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 Orlando hosts No. 8 Miami. The winner locks in the 7th seed.
- Game 2 (April 14): No. 9 Philadelphia 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 Philadelphia — 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 12 games left. Here is the March-April stretch run:
| Date | Opponent | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| March 21 | Memphis Grizzlies | Home | Winnable — Grizz are locked into a top-6 seed |
| 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 be a preview |
| 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 is the swing game. A win there could flip the 9-10 seeding. A loss could cement the Hornets as the 10 seed, meaning a do-or-die road game in the play-in.
The Key Players Driving This Push
LaMelo Ball — 19.5 PPG, 7.2 APG, 4.8 RPG in 59 games. 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.
Brandon Miller — The 2023 No. 2 overall pick is in his third year and has taken a significant leap. Miller's two-way impact has been central to the mid-season turnaround.
Miles Bridges — Averaging a double-double and providing the veteran presence this young roster needs down the stretch.
Collin Sexton & Spencer Dinwiddie — The veteran guard additions GM Mitch Kupchak made to complement the Ball-Miller core. Sexton's scoring punch off the bench and Dinwiddie's playoff experience are exactly what you want for a play-in push.
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 get to the 9 seed? Two games behind Philadelphia. The March 28 head-to-head is the clearest path. A Charlotte win there plus a Philly stumble elsewhere flips the seeding and gives the Hornets home court.
LaMelo's health. Ball has played 59 of 70 games — his healthiest season as a pro. If he stays on the floor for the final 12, Charlotte is dangerous.
The Boston problem. Two of the final 12 games are in Boston. The Celtics are the class of the East. Charlotte likely needs to go 7-5 or better in this stretch to hold the 10 seed, and 9-3 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.
Update Log
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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