Projecting the Charlotte Hornets’ final record
By Duncan Smith
As the Detroit Pistons begin their push for playoff positioning, it’s time to take a look at the Charlotte Hornets to examine how they stack up in the playoff race.
In our continuing series breaking down the Detroit Pistons’ playoff chances and their biggest challengers to the final few playoff spots, it’s time to take a look at the Charlotte Hornets to outline what remains for them on the schedule in an effort to break down where they will finish.
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The Charlotte Hornets are currently sixth in the Eastern Conference with a 35-28 record, ten games behind the Cleveland Cavaliers and 2.5 games ahead of the Pistons who are tied for eighth with a 33-31 record.
Charlotte Hornets’ remaining schedule:
Friday, March 11th: Detroit Pistons (33-31)
Saturday, March 12th: Houston Rockets (32-32)
Monday, March 14th: Dallas Mavericks (33-32)
Wednesday, March 16th: Orlando Magic (27-36)
Thursday, March 17th: @ Miami Heat (37-27)
Saturday, March 19th: Denver Nuggets (26-38)
Monday, March 21st: San Antonio Spurs (54-10)
Tuesday, March 22nd: @ Brooklyn Nets (18-46)
Friday, March 25th: @ Detroit Pistons (33-31)
Saturday, March 26th: @ Milwaukee Bucks (27-38)
Tuesday, March 29th: @ Philadelphia 76ers (8-56)
Friday, April 1st: Philadelphia 76ers (8-56)
Sunday, April 3rd: @ Cleveland Cavaliers (45-18)
Tuesday, April 5th: @ Toronto Raptors (42-20)
Wednesday, April 6th: @ New York Knicks (27-39)
Friday, April 8th: Brooklyn Nets (18-46)
Sunday, April 10th: @ Washington Wizards (30-33)
Monday, April 11th: @ Boston Celtics (39-26)
Wednesday, April 13th: Orlando Magic (27-36)
Hornets’ winning percentage: (35-28) .556
Remaining opponents combined winning percentage: 478-481 (.498)
Games the Hornets are likely to win: Two games against the Orlando Magic, Denver Nuggets, two games against the Brooklyn Nets, Milwaukee Bucks, two games against the Philadelphia 76ers, New York Knicks
50/50 games: Two games against the Detroit Pistons, Houston Rockets, Dallas Mavericks, Washington Wizards
Games the Hornets are likely to lose: On the road against the Miami Heat, San Antonio Spurs, Cleveland Cavaliers, Toronto Raptors, Boston Celtics
Analysis: The Hornets have a fairly soft schedule ahead of them, with four games against the Brooklyn Nets and Philadelphia 76ers and two games against the free-falling Magic. There are only five very tough games left for the Hornets, with matchups against the Heat, Spurs, Cavs, Raptors and Celtics among them. If the Hornets win their easy games and fare well in their 50/50s, they could go winless in the games they are expected to lose and still be in good shape for the playoffs.
Hornets projected final record: 46-36
Much like my earlier post about the Atlanta Hawks’ playoff outlook, I utilized FiveThirtyEight’s NBA predictions to forecast the Hornets’ record. Their algorithm predicts the Hornets to finish with a 46-36 record, and gives them less than one percent chance to win the NBA title.