Charlotte Hornets: Looking at the Ladder Rungs
For the Charlotte Hornets, a win against the Nets is great…but the teams to keep an eye on are the Hawks, Wizards, and Pacers.
The Charlotte Hornets continued their home winning streak last night by defeating the Brooklyn Nets 107-102. It gave the Hornets a rare win where the opposing squad scored over one hundred points. It also was the rare game that saw Michael Kidd-Gilchrist lead the team in scoring and rebounding. Fortunately the Hornets did spread the points around and got some bench support to hold the victory.
The win made the team 23-21 on the season and already on a good start to the second half of the schedule. The Hornets finished the first half of schedule 21-21 after that horrendous road trip and its five straight losses. That dragged them back into the gritty of the Eastern Conference playoff picture.
The Hornets had enjoyed a perch of first in the Southeast and fourth in the East, but that perch went away. Now the Hornets are attempting to climb back up and sit at seventh in the conference. Seventh means playoffs, but it does not mean a good matchup or a home stand. The Hornets are currently 1-7 on the season against Boston, Cleveland, and Toronto. Those three teams are the most likely to have the second seed.
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The good news for the Hornets is that not much separates them in talent and depth from the teams immediately in their way for a home playoff series. Atlanta currently holds the four spot but the Hawks have been linked to midseason trade rumors regarding Thabo Sefolosha and Paul Millsap. They have already traded away Kyle Korver to the Cavs. They would seem primed for a move backward.
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Also in front of the Hornets are the Indiana Pacers. The Pacers went from the team who could not figure things out all to sixth in the East. There are still some compatibility issues between Jeff Teague and the other guards that will have to get worked out. The Pacers will probably have some bumps ahead.
There is hope then that the Hornets can get back into a favorable position. They will need more scoring from more places. A healthy Jeremy Lamb would be nice too, but that is a familiar refrain. The state of the Hornets roster will likely prohibit a major trade unless it involves more teams. The current bunch will just have to play better.