One Game Away: Charlotte Hornets Await Sixers

After a thrilling victory over the Miami Heat last night, the Charlotte Hornets season is not over.

After winning the nine versus ten game, the Hornets will patiently watch tonight's seven versus eight game between the Philadelphia 76ers (7) and the Orlando Magic (8). The game will take place in Philadelphia and tip-off on Amazon Prime Video at 7:30 PM.

Charlotte is set to travel to take on the loser of this matchup, with a 7:30 PM matchup on Friday that will determine the last playoff spot. If the Hornets want to secure their first playoff appearance in a decade, they will need to prove they deserve it over two teams who have been consistent playoff teams for the Eastern Conference over the last few seasons.

Philadelphia 76ers

The Hornets went 1-2 against the 76ers this season, with the lone win being a 37 point victory during the team's turnaround in January. Philadelphia was missing Joel Embiid and Paul George in the loss, while Charlotte had yet to acquire Coby White.

The two teams met at full strength in late March, a matchup where the Sixers earned a 118-114 victory over the Hornets, with George, Tyrese Maxey, and Joel Embiid recording 25+ points each.

For tonight's matchup and likely the remainder of the month, Sixers star Joel Embiid is out after undergoing a successful appendectomy on Thursday. The former MVP has historically dominated the matchup, posting a 21-1 record in his career against Charlotte.

Despite his absence, FanDuel has the 76ers listed as 2.5 point favorites. Philadelphia went 2–1 against the Magic this season, but the two teams have not met since January 9, when the 76ers won 103–91 with Orlando missing Franz Wagner and Jalen Suggs.

Orlando Magic

The Magic are coming off one of their worst losses in the Paolo Banchero/Franz Wagner era, dropping a game against a Boston Celtics squad led by Baylor Scheierman, Luka Garza, and Ron Harper Jr.

Head Coach Jamahl Mosley has been rumors swirling around his name, a coach the Hornets know all too well this season as he was ejected during Dell Curry's jersey retirement night in March.

For Charlotte, this is the matchup they would like to see on Friday. Charlotte won the season series against Orlando, winning each of the last three matchups after losing the first game between the team back in late October.

The last time the two teams met, Orlando was missing star Franz Wagner who will be in line to take the court for the Play-In Tournament. Wagner is 12-4 in his career against Charlotte, and has lost just one game to the Hornets since December 2022.

In all likelihood, this will be the matchup for the Hornets on Friday. With the struggles Orlando has faced lately, this is the best case scenario for Charlotte, especially coming off a matchup with a tough head coach and defensive scheme from Erik Spoelstra and the Miami Heat.

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