Charlotte Hornets' Standings Update and Scoreboard Watch for April 8

In some ways, last night's NBA slate was exceptionally disappointing for the Charlotte Hornets. They held an 11-point lead over the Boston Celtics after one period, and they were up seven points late in the third quarter.

Those are far from insurmountable deficits (obviously), but to see it dwindle away and see the Hornets blow a golden opportunity to move a bit closer to a legitimate playoff berth was disappointing.

That, and the Toronto Raptors won. They beat the Miami Heat, which makes it more likely that the Hornets will avoid the 10 seed, but they're now a little further from a playoff spot.

The East's 5-10 range is still tight. Miami has officially been relegated from a possible playoff berth to a guaranteed Play-In berth. Here's where things stand:

5. Atlanta Hawks
6. Toronto Raptors: 1 GB
7. Philadelphia 76ers: 2 GB
8. Orlando Magic: 2 GB
9. Charlotte Hornets: 2.5 GB
10. Miami Heat: 4 GB

At this point, the Hornets can no longer get the five seed. They're 2.5 games back of it and have just two games left. They can get the six seed, but that's an extremely long shot.

Today's schedule

Orlando Magic forward Paolo Banchero (5) tries to drive to the basket past Charlotte Hornets forward Miles Bridges | Brian Westerholt-Imagn Images

The Hornets do not play today. It is a somewhat merciful day off after a tough loss and before two more extremely challenging matchups (on the road against the New York Knicks and at home versus the Detroit Pistons).

There are two games that matter to the East's playoff and Play-In races. First, the Hawks are visiting the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Hornets can still tie the Hawks in record if they win out and the Hawks lose out, and that begins tonight.

If that happens, then the Hornets would pass them, as they own the tiebreaker after beating them three times this season. The Cavaliers have clinched a top-four spot, but they can help the Hornets by winning.

The other game is the Orlando Magic hosting the Minnesota Timberwolves. Anthony Edwards may or may not play. If the Magic lose, the Hornets would move back into eighth by virtue of owning the tiebreaker over Orlando.

If the Magic win, the Hornets would fall a full game back of the eight seed and face an extremely uphill battle to getting that 7-8 game instead of the dreaded 9-10 game. That makes the Magic-Timberwolves bout the most important game of the day.

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