The Hornets struggled most of the night versus the Pelicans, but rallied to make enough plays down the stretch to pull out a 106-103 win. Charlotte has won five straight games and the Hornets are making a late season push to the playoffs. With only 10 games left, the Hornets are sitting at 37-35 and currently in 9th place in the Eastern Conference. Charlotte is only a game behind the Brooklyn Nets for the 8th seed in the East which is important. If you finish 7th or 8th in the East, you only have to win one game to make the playoffs. The 9th and 10th seeds have to win two games to make the postseason. It is important to note that Kyrie Irving is only eligible to play in three of Brooklyn’s last 10 games, which could be a huge issue for the Nets as Ben Simmons looks like he isn’t close to being ready to return to the court with a back injury.
The Hornets last 10 games look like this:
Knicks
Jazz
@ Brooklyn
Denver
@ New York
@ Philly
@ Miami
Orlando
@ Chicago
Washington
The Hornets must defeat the Knicks both times and beat Orlando and Washington at home. That would put them at 41 wins. The key game is at Brooklyn. The two teams have split their season series so far, with their 3rd and final match deciding the season series. If Charlotte can win that game, it will be huge if both teams finish with the same record – giving Charlotte the tiebreaker. Denver and Utah will be two tough home games. It will be ideal for Charlotte to get into that 8th spot and then beat Toronto, who is currently in the 7 seed, and make the playoffs. There is a path to the playoffs for Charlotte, getting there will be difficult, but it is possible.
