Charlotte Hornets Standing Update and Scoreboard Watch for April 9

Things didn't go terribly well for the Charlotte Hornets on Wednesday night. They were off after a Tuesday-night loss to the Boston Celtics, so it's been a while since Charlotte has had a good day in the standings and on the scoreboard.

There were only two games that mattered for the Hornets' pursuit of the playoffs or better Play-In seeding, and one of them mattered a whole lot more. The Atlanta Hawks and Cleveland Cavaliers matched up, and the Orlando Magic played the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Because the Hawks lost, they remain theoretically catchable by the Hornets. There are two games on the schedule, and the Hawks have a two-game lead on the Hornets, so that was a good result for Charlotte.

However, catching them remains a long shot, so the game wasn't terribly consequential. The other game, Magic vs. Timberwolves, was significantly more important. The Timberwolves were without both Anthony Edwards and Julius Randle, a significant blow for the Hornets.

Unsurprisingly, the Magic won handily. They moved ahead of Charlotte despite a major advantage in head-to-head for the Hornets. It dropped the Hornets to ninth by half a game. On Tuesday, they could've been in sixth at the end of the night, and now they're ninth.

Here's the full picture:

5. Atlanta Hawks
6. Toronto Raptors: 0.5 GB
7. Orlando Magic: 1 GB
8. Philadelphia 76ers: 1.5 GB
9. Charlotte Hornets: 2 GB
10. Miami Heat: 3.5 GB

Tonight's slate of NBA action

Charlotte Hornets forward Miles Bridges (0) passes ended by Toronto Raptors guard Jamal Shead | Sam Sharpe-Imagn Images

The Hornets don't play tonight. They're off one more night before hosting the Detroit Pistons, who unfortunately just activated Cade Cunningham despite having the one seed locked. Another unfortunate health update for the Hornets.

Tonight, the Heat and Raptors play for the second time this week. The 76ers also play the Houston Rockets. Those are the only games that matter to the Hornets, and there's a good chance this is a good night no matter what.

Obviously, the Hornets need the Rockets to win. If they do, the Hornets will move to a tie with the 76ers. They do not have the tiebreaker, but it would make it easier to move in front in the dying embers of the season.

The Heat-Raptors matchup is kind of a win-win for Charlotte. The best-case scenario is the Heat losing so that they fall two games back of Charlotte with two left. This would help the Hornets avoid the 10 seed, which is not ideal. They'd at least host a Play-In game in that case.

If the Raptors lose, they'd move down a little closer to the Hornets. That's always good, even if it doesn't improve the Hornets' standing. They'd have an easier time catching Toronto or matching up with a team they split with but outscored them by 29 across the four games.

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