With the Charlotte Hornets’ hot streak cooling off, the momentum has shifted to the Atlanta Hawks, who have surged ahead with an impressive 11‑game winning streak. That swing in the standings now puts Charlotte on track for a nightmare scenario: a potential April play‑in matchup against a fully healthy Philadelphia 76ers squad. This is hardly the matchup they’d hoped for.
Right now, the Sixers sit in the nine seed while the Hornets are holding onto the ten. There’s still plenty of time for movement over the next month, but if the standings hold, Charlotte would be heading on the road for its opening play‑in game, facing a full strength team starving to make an Eastern Conference Finals run.
A fully healthy Sixers squad impose fear
In their current state, Philadelphia’s star trio is in disarray. Joel Embiid hasn’t logged a single minute in March, Tyrese Maxey is sidelined with a tendon injury that’s expected to keep him out for an extended stretch, and Paul George remains suspended. Unsurprisingly, the Sixers have free fallen all the way down to the ninth seed.
But all of those issues are temporary. Fast‑forward a month, and the Hornets could be staring down a fully healthy Philadelphia team. Maxey, a second-time All‑Star this season, has been pouring in around 30 points per game with high efficiency. Add a healthy former MVP in Embiid and a nine‑time All‑Star George returning from suspension, and the matchup becomes a nightmare scenario for Charlotte.
History doesn’t offer much comfort here. The Sixers have taken 10 of the last 11 meetings between the two teams. While history hasn’t been kind to Charlotte, it’s important to recognize that this is not the Hornets team of years past.Â
Nearly every returning player has taken a noticeable leap, and the arrival of rookie talents like Kon Knueppel, Ryan Kalkbrenner, and Sion James have been extremely beneficial. Add in the midseason acquisition of Coby White, who’s become a valuable piece to the rotation, and the roster looks far more complete than its reputation suggests.
Does it really matter who the Hornets play?
There are certainly more favorable matchups than Philadelphia for the first round play‑in, but this Hornets team has already shown it can go toe‑to‑toe with almost anyone. Over their last 13 games, Charlotte owns an 11.5 net rating — the second‑best mark in the entire league.
So does it really matter who they draw? One could argue that Atlanta is the team to avoid right now, given the Hawks have been steamrolling opponents by nearly 18 points per game over their last 10 games. Still, their lack of postseason experience stands in stark contrast to a battle‑tested Sixers squad.
What’s undeniable is that playoff basketball is an entirely different environment. The pace slows, the physicality spikes, and every possession becomes that much more important. For a young Hornets roster trying to establish a winning identity, simply reaching the play‑in tournament is a crucial step in laying the foundation of future success.