Charlotte Hornets Standings Update and Scoreboard Watch for April 7

The Charlotte Hornets are back in action tonight after an off day yesterday. That off day was fairly beneficial to the Hornets, as two teams ahead of them in the standings lost. It wasn't a perfect day, though.

The Atlanta Hawks fell to the New York Knicks, the Philadelphia 76ers lost to the San Antonio Spurs, and the Orlando Magic throttled the Detroit Pistons. The latter result is a surprising as it is disappointing for Charlotte.

Here's how the standings look from five to 10 in the East as of this morning:

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

The Magic beating the Pistons, even without Cade Cunningham, is a surprise, and it stings for the Hornets. They do have the tiebreaker over them, which is why they're ninth now, but more distance between the Hornets and Magic is always good.

But the night was a success, as the 76ers fell back into a tie with the Hornets as well. Charlotte does not own the tiebreaker there, but it makes it a little easier for them to potentially leapfrog them in the coming days and host the first Play-In game.

Atlanta losing keeps the possibility of the Hornets getting the fifth seed alive for another day. With three games left and a two-game deficit, it's not likely, but it's not over just yet. Now, for today's contests.

Today's NBA slate as it pertains to the Hornets

Boston Celtics guard Payton Pritchard (11) reaches for a loose ball in front of Charlotte Hornets center Ryan Kalkbrenner | Bob DeChiara-Imagn Images

The Hornets will visit the Boston Celtics tonight, which is another in a seemingly never-ending line of difficult opponents to end the year. They won in Boston with Jayson Tatum sidelined, but then the Celtics, with Tatum and without Jaylen Brown, demolished the Hornets in Charlotte.

Forgive me if I'm not terribly confident in Charlotte's ability to beat a fully healthy (there are no players on the injury report) Celtics team in Boston. It's unfortunate, but it's the hand the Hornets have been dealt.

The only other game that matters is the Toronto Raptors versus the Miami Heat. This is honestly a win-win for the Hornets. The best scenario is for the Heat to win, but in either outcome, the Hornets benefit.

Either the Heat continue to get buried in the 10th spot, meaning the Hornets would host a potential nine-10 matchup if they fell to the ninth seed, or the Raptors fall a little. If that happens, the Hornets would be closer (or lose no ground) to the sixth seed, which is good.

Tonight's an important night for the Hornets, and if all goes well, they could be in the sixth spot at the end of it. If nothing goes to plan, they'll move back to the ninth spot.

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