Ranking the Potential Play-In Matchups for the Charlotte Hornets

The Charlotte Hornets are currently the best team in the Play-In range, at least according to point differential. They are +3.4, and no one else is above +1.5 (the Toronto Raptors). They're also probably better than the Orlando Magic, who are currently the five seed.

Unfortunately, because the Hornets got an incredibly late start to this whole winning business, they are not going to move into the sixth seed and avoid the Play-In. They're only 3.5 games back, but it's going to be hard to make that up when the Miami Heat are so red-hot.

So because of that, we expect the Hornets to stay in the Play-In, and they're three games back of the seventh seed (tops in the Play-In). They might move up from 10th, but it's not a given at this point. With that in mind, here are all the possible matchups ranked from most ideal to least.

Possible Play-In matchups for Hornets

Toronto Raptors

The Toronto Raptors are pretty solid, but they've slipped into the Play-In range, indicating a slide that could help any team that ends up facing them. The Hornets have also played the Raptors really well.

They have split the season series, but the Hornets lost by two points in November, which is to say that this is a totally different and better Hornets team than that one. They also lost on a buzzer-beater that Charles Lee didn't coach them quite well enough for. If the current Raptors and current Hornets played a season series, the Hornets would likely win three of them.

Atlanta Hawks

Right now, the Atlanta Hawks are surging, which is why they're not the most ideal opponent. The Hornets are fading behind them because Atlanta has somehow won seven games in a row, and they have pushed their point differential into the positive.

The Hornets are 3-1 against Atlanta, though. The only loss was a three-point loss in November, so again, the Hornets are much better now than they were then. The Hornets are a significantly better team than the Hawks.

Philadelphia 76ers

Among all the potential Play-In teams (excluding the Milwaukee Bucks who are 5.5 games back of Charlotte and not really in contention), the Philadelphia 76ers are the only team with a negative point differential.

Tyrese Maxey, VJ Edgecombe, and Joel Embiid are a scary trio, and Embiid has owned the Hornets historically. But the 76ers have dealt with injuries, and who's to say Embiid will even be available? They are, in my opinion, the worst team in the 5-10 range in the East.

Orlando Magic

The Orlando Magic have lost two of three to the Hornets with one to play, so they are guaranteed to at least split. The Hornets have beaten the Magic by 15 and 27 while losing by 16 in October, so the same logic applies. The October Hornets died and the new Hornets were reborn even better.

Orlando just has matchup problems for the Hornets. Paolo Banchero is a difficult guard, but especially for someone like Miles Bridges. That can be the difference in a one-game tournament like this.

Miami Heat

The Miami Heat are surging at the right time. If the last matchup with the Hornets is any indication, Charlotte should really want no part of them. They were as hot as could be, coming off a dominant road win in Boston, and they had no answers for Miami defensively.

Miami arguably has the best coach in the league, and Tyler Herro can get as hot as anyone from three. It's not a good recipe in a one-game scenario in which the Heat have so much more experience than the Hornets. Out of all the teams, Miami is the only one that genuinely worries me.