Charlotte Hornets: 5 keys to making the playoffs

The Hornets need to show up on the road

The difference when the team gets to play in their friendly confines in comparison to playing on the road is very noticeable. A recent victory over the Washington Wizards gave the team their 20th home win of the season but they’ve only won eight road games all year.

Prior to the All-Star break, a victory over the Chicago Bulls gave them a five-game winning streak at home (which was ended promptly a few nights later against the Los Angeles Clippers), the team’s longest such streak since in the last two seasons according to Chris Kroeger.

A 20-11 record at home is pretty good, but 8-21 on the road just won’t cut it, especially since 12 of their last 22 games will be away from the Spectrum Center.

A lot of those road games will be key, especially since multiple games come against teams that are fighting for the playoffs as well.

Every game will be important for a playoff spot the rest of the season. The Hornets will have to find the same magic they have at home to get some key road wins. There’s a big difference in how they perform when visiting other arenas:

• Points scored per game: 113.5 (home) vs. 108.4 (away)
• Points allowed per game: 108.4 vs. 114.9
• Field goal shooting percentage: 46.5 vs. 43.4 percent
• 3-point shooting percentage: 36.5 vs. 33.1 percent
• Free-throw shooting percentage: 80.6 vs. 76.8
• Offensive rating (per NBA.com): 112.7 vs. 108.5
• Defensive rating (per NBA.com): 107.9 vs. 114.0

With such a big swing between the team’s shooting percentages and team ratings, it’s not a surprise they have just won seven of their 25 games on the road. Missing Cody Zeller and playing on the road for 10 of their 14 games in the month of January didn’t help either.

There’s no doubt the Hornets have the potential to punch a ticket to the playoffs. But if they can’t find their way on the road, they could miss out on the playoffs altogether for the third straight season.