In the grand scheme of things, the Charlotte Hornets’ nationally-televised matchup with the Boston Celtics at TD Garden on Tuesday night is rather significant.
With three games remaining, Charlotte (43-36) sits in a virtual three-way tie for seventh place in the Eastern Conference standings along with Philadelphia and Orlando. Technically in eighth due to having lost the regular-season series to Philadelphia, the Hornets are a half-game behind sixth-place Toronto and hold a 1.5-game edge over 10th-place Miami.
Charlotte Hornets fans Light Up the Hive as the team prepares to open up the fourth quarter against the Orlando Magic on March 19, 2026, at Spectrum Center in Charlotte. The Hornets defeated the Magic 130-111. JEFF SINER [email protected]
Finishing above the ninth seed guarantees the Hornets at least one home postseason game, which would mark the first time that’s happened since Game 6 of their first-round playoff series against Miami in 2016. Charlotte holds the NBA’s longest current playoff drought.
Should the Hornets finish in a multi-team tie, it will be settled by the best head-to-head winning percentage in all games. If somehow Charlotte ends up knotted with Miami and Orlando, the Heat have the edge followed by the Hornets and the Magic.
If the Hornets beat Boston …
Charlotte could climb into a tie with idle Orlando for seventh place, pending the result of Miami’s matchup in Toronto against the Raptors.
If the Hornets lose to Boston …
Charlotte drops to ninth place, trailing Orlando.
This story was originally published April 7, 2026 at 2:11 PM.
Roderick Boone
The Charlotte Observer
Roderick Boone joined the Observer in September 2021 to cover the Charlotte Hornets and NBA. In his more than two decades of writing about the world of sports, he’s chronicled everything from high school rodeo to a major league baseball no-hitter to the Super Bowl to the Finals. The Long Island native has deep North Carolina roots and enjoys watching “The Fresh Prince of Bel Air” endlessly.
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