Charlotte Hornets

Charlotte Hornets Look to Right the Ship at Home Before the New Year

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 12:42 p.m. ET

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Fansided, Jerry Stephens/FanSided via Swarm and Sting

The Charlotte Hornets haven’t been great at home so far this season but they will be looking to gain some steady confidence before the start of the new year.

2017 is right around the corner and the Charlotte Hornets will have six games before the new year begins to right the ship and correct their unsteadiness. The team will play four of those six matches at home, which gives them a chance to turn things around as their play at the Spectrum Center hasn’t been as good as it was last season. This could be a crucial stretch for a squad that has hopes of obtaining a top-four seed in the Eastern Conference.

Charlotte will play the Los Angeles Lakers, the Chicago Bulls, the Brooklyn Nets, the Orlando Magic, the Miami Heat, and the Cleveland Cavaliers before 2017 begins. Their games against LA, Chicago, Miami, and the Cavs will be at The Hive. None of those games will be easy but looking at the success the team had at home last year, they could conjure up some of that Charlotte magic to ride a hot streak at the tail end of 2016.

The Hornets are only 8-6 at home this season. They haven’t played horribly but compared to last season, they lost their sixth home game on December 30th  but this year, they did so on December 3rd. After going 30-11 at Time Warner Cable Arena in the 2015-16 season, the team’s on track to go only on track to go 24-17 this season.

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While Charlotte could quickly turn things around with a strong homestand, they have been less than stellar so far this year. With four of their final six games in 2016 coming at home, a few big wins against some high-level opponents could give them momentum going into 2017. The toughest matchup will obviously be against LeBron James and the defending NBA champions. If the Hornets can pull off an upset win in that game, their final one of 2016 on December 31st,

The toughest matchup will obviously be against LeBron James and the defending NBA champions. If the Hornets can pull off an upset win in that game, their final one of 2016 on December 31st, it would be huge for their confidence going forward.

With the team’s recent struggles on the road (1-4 in last 5), victories at home are much needed. They haven’t had enough solid home wins so far this year as they have been defeated by some lesser opponents. This is their chance to right the ship, gain momentum, and gain back some of the home court advantage that they had last season in these final few games of the year.

On the other hand, if the Charlotte Hornets drop more games at home to fellow playoff-bound teams, their confidence could take a hit going into 2017. End the old year on a high note is essential for a good mindset heading into the new one. While the team hasn’t been bad, they haven’t yet played up to par to what most expected coming off of a great year last season. This is their chance to get things going in the right direction.

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