Charlotte Hornets Report: Week of April 6th-10th

Credit: Charlotte Hornets

LAST 4 GAMES

-      @ Golden State Warriors: L, 90-137

-      @ Utah Jazz: L, 102-111

-      @ New Orleans Pelicans: W, 115-109

-      vs. Toronto Raptors: W, 113-111

The season is coming to a close this week and the Hornets can still make the playoff, but they have to win out. In the last 4, they split 2 games and are still 2 games out of the cutoff line. The game against the Warriors went about as well as I expected and the same goes for the Jazz, but the game I was most interested in was the game with the Raptors. It was a close game and I guess you can call Jeremy Lamb the Raptor Killer from now on. He came up big with a late three to put Charlotte ahead with 3 seconds to go. Kemba Walker was the leading scorer with 29 points and Frank Kaminsky led the team with 13 boards. I felt like to have a better chance at the playoffs, the Hornets needed to come away with at least 3 wins, but they still have a shot. A slim one, but a shot. 

NEXT 3 GAMES

-      @ Detroit Pistons (39-40): Sunday, April 7that 4pm

-      @ Cleveland Cavaliers (19-61): Tuesday, April 9that 7pm

-      vs. Orlando Magic (40-40): Wednesday, April 10that 8pm

The last slate of the season isn’t a very difficult one, but it could be tricky. Two of the teams are currently above the cutoff line, but haven’t clinched yet. The Hornets started the week off against the Pistons, who are currently sitting at number 8 in the East. In their last 10, they have not been a great team going 3-7. They have nearly played their way out of the playoffs and they still could to be honest. At this point in the season, every game is must-win for Charlotte and this should be no exception. If they want a shot at the playoffs and I know they do, The Pistons need to be a losing team on Sunday evening in Detroit. With a Detroit and Brooklyn win, the Hornets would be officially eliminated from playoff contention. 

The next game is against a team that is tied for the second worst record in basketball. The Cleveland Cavaliers without LeBron James is a perineal Lottery Pick. They are clearly tanking at this point in the season and a win shouldn’t be difficult for the Hornets here. The game is on the road, but Cleveland is bad at home also. 2-8 in their last 10 and those 8 losses have all been consecutive. There really isn’t much left to say except every game is a must-win. 

The Orlando Magic will be the last test of the season. The Magic are currently in the 6 spot in the East and looked to be primed for a playoff appearance. Although they haven’t clinched yet, they will with one more win. Orlando has powered through and pushed their way into playoff contention within the last week or two. They have gone 8-2 in their last 10 and look to make some noise in the playoffs. As it stands today, they would face the Philadelphia 76ers in the first round. If the Hornets are still around by the last game of the season, which I’m not really expecting, then they honestly shouldn’t have any trouble with this Magic team. This would be the fourth matchup between the two teams and the Hornets have a 2-1 lead in the season series. Hopefully they can make it an outright series win on Wednesday night. 

Yacs