The Charlotte Hornets stayed hot on Tuesday, cruising past the Sacramento Kings 134-90 to secure their fourth straight victory.
In the win, the Hornets matched a franchise record with 26 3-pointers, with Coby White leading the charge with 27 points, including six from beyond the arc. LaMelo Ball also knocked down six 3-pointers and finished with 20 points and eight assists.
The victory marked another significant step forward, as their current winning streak has come against the Miami Heat and Orlando Magic — fellow Eastern Conference playoff contenders — before continuing against the Memphis Grizzlies and now the Kings.
With just 10 games remaining in the regular season, the Hornets are now focused on securing a playoff spot. Here’s where things stand.
Charlotte Hornets Playoff Picture: Updated Standings
The win improved the Hornets’ record to 38-34, placing them ninth in the East. They share the same record as the No. 8 Magic and Heat and sit just one game behind the No. 7 Philadelphia 76ers (39-33), two games behind the No. 6 Atlanta Hawks (40-32), and 2.5 games behind the No. 5 Toronto Raptors (40-31).
The race for positioning in the East has become one of the biggest storylines late in the season. Seeds No. 5 through No. 10 are separated by just 2.5 games, meaning teams in this range, including the Hornets, could move from a guaranteed playoff berth to the play-in tournament.
Charlotte Hornets Playoff Picture: Remaining Schedule
Six of the Hornets’ final 10 games will be played at home. They will host Eastern Conference playoff-bound teams such as the New York Knicks (Thursday), Philadelphia 76ers (Saturday) and Boston Celtics (Sunday) before heading on the road Tuesday to face the rebuilding Brooklyn Nets.
After that, they return home for a back-to-back against the Phoenix Suns and Indiana Pacers on April 2 and 3.
Following that stretch, they will embark on their final road trip of the season, facing the Minnesota Timberwolves on April 5 and the Celtics on April 7 before returning home to face the Detroit Pistons.
They will close out the regular season against the New York Knicks on April 12.
Per Tankathon, the Hornets have the third-toughest remaining schedule in the league based on opponent winning percentage, trailing only the OKC Thunder and Knicks.
For comparison, Atlanta has the sixth-toughest schedule, Philadelphia ranks 15th, Orlando 16th, Toronto 18th and Miami 19th.
