It’s the beginning of April, and for the first time in a long time, the Charlotte Hornets still have something to play for. With four games in hand, they currently sit at 8th in the Eastern Conference:
The Play-In Picture
Team
Record
Games Back
Atlanta Hawks (5.)
45-33
0
Philadelphia 76ers
43-34
1.5
Toronto Raptors
43-34
1.5
Charlotte Hornets
42-36
3
Orlando Magic
41-36
3.5
Miami Heat (10.)
41-37
4
The bad news: Charlotte has by far the toughest remaining schedule out of all the teams in the fight for position. They still have to play the Celtics, Knicks, and Pistons next week.
With that in mind, getting a win tonight at 7 pm against a very volatile team would be hugely important:
Tonight’s Opponent: The Minnesota Timberwolves (46-31 | 6th in the West)
One of the best scorers in the game: Anthony Edwards averages 28.9 points per game, which ranks third across the NBA. | Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images
What to make of the Minnesota Timberwolves? That’s what a lot of folks around the NBA have been asking themselves this season. The talent on the roster is undeniable, and the record looks good, albeit it’s only enough for 6th in a stacked Western Conference.
But when the Wolves look bad, they look really bad, and over the last couple of months, they have racked up a number of concerning losses. Just in March, they beat the Celtics, Raptors, Suns, and Rockets but lost to the Magic, Clippers, and Trailblazers.
Right now, Minnesota is in a two-game slump, falling to a Pistons squad missing Cade Cunningham and, most recently, the Philadelphia 76ers. In all fairness, a big part of those results has been the (partial) absence of Jaden McDaniels and Anthony Edwards.
The Injury Report:
Charlotte Hornets: OUT – Liam McNeeley & Tidjane Salaün (G-League), PJ Hall (R Ankle) Probable – Moussa Diabaté (L Ankle)
Minnesota Timberwolves: OUT – Jaden McDaniels (L Knee) Questionable – Anthony Edwards (R Knee)
Key to the Game: Be unpredictable offensively
The Hornets blistering and spectacular offense has been one of the hot topics in NBA discourse in 2026. But when the threes aren’t falling, LaMelo and Co. are still prone to keep chucking them up instead of finding better looks inside the arc.
Since Minnesota’s best perimeter defender won’t be playing, there should be opportunities to beat defenders one-on-one and penetrate. Rudy Gobert will still be waiting at the rim, but ideally, the Hornets can at least get some good looks from the short midrange.
Scoring consistently will also be important, so Minnesota doesn’t get any easy fastbreak points. The Timberwolves have a solid offense that can go through Julius Randle in the Post, Anthony Edwards in isolation, or Donte DiVincenzo as a spot-up shooter.
But they can sometimes get stuck in the half-court offense, maybe because they have so many possible ways to score. Mike Conley is also in the final stage of his career, and apart from him, there’s not a classic initiator.
Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images
The tradeline acquisition of Ayo Dosunmu has at least relieved some of those concerns. Since arriving from the Bulls, the former fighting Illini has averaged 14.0 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 3.7 assists.
It’s no secret that the more points you score, the higher the chances you will win. But it will be even more true tonight. When Minnesota has held opponents below 108 points, they haven’t lost a game this year.
The goal for Charlotte should be to beat that margin by a good amount. It won’t be easy against a team that has the fifth-highest defensive rating in the NBA, but achieving it would likely lead to a statement win.
Projected Starting Lineups
Charlotte Hornets
Minnesota Timberwolves
Point Guard
LaMelo Ball
Ayo Dosunmu
Shooting Guard
Kon Knueppel
Donte DiVincenzo
Small Forward
Brandon Miller
Anthony Edwards
Power Forward
Miles Bridges
Julius Randle
Center
Moussa Diabaté
Rudy Gobert
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