Charlotte is finally buzzing again. That’s because the Hornets are in the midst of the league’s longest active playoff drought, winning eight straight for the first time since the 1998-99 season.
They extended that impressive streak with a 109-99 road win over the Houston Rockets despite Kevin Durant scoring at least 30 points for the fifth time in his last eight games.
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In their first game since trading with the Chicago Bulls for Coby White at the deadline, the Hornets (24-28) pulled away from the Rockets (31-19), causing the Western Conference’s fourth-place team to change starters late in the fourth quarter in a game that wasn’t even as close as the 10-point margin suggested.
Kon Knueppel continued his stellar rookie season, scoring a team-high 24 points on 8-for-13 shooting. LaMelo Ball hit 5 three-pointers and scored 20 points, not far behind.
White did not play in the game and is not expected to play until after the All-Star break due to a lingering calf injury, but the former UNC star is excited about the next chapter of his career.
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“Every time I come back to Charlotte to play, I tell people it feels different,” White, a native of Goldsboro, N.C., told the Charlotte Observer on Thursday.
“Every time I’m in the building, I feel the love, and it’s weird…something triggers every time I’m in there. So I’m excited for me to play more games there.”
White is talking about Spectrum Center. The guard averaged 22.5 points in two games with the Bulls earlier this season.
It’s also where Hornets fans will be anxiously awaiting their rookie lineup on February 9, when Charlotte takes on the Eastern Conference-leading Detroit Pistons.
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This game will be the first of four consecutive home games for the Hornets.
But first they’ll travel to Atlanta to face the Hawks on Saturday. With a win there, they would officially tie the 1999 surge when the season was cut short by a strike and the late Paul Silas took over as interim head coach after Dave Cowens resigned after a 4-11 start.
The Hornets lost eight of their first nine games. Similarly, the 2025-26 Hornets only won three of their first 10 games and had a record of only 4 wins and 14 losses by late November.
This time, a coaching change did not lead to a turnaround.
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In Charles Lee’s second year on the job, he oversaw a mid-season turnaround.
The Hornets are getting production from a variety of young players. In addition to the 20-year-old Knuppel and the 24-year-old Ball, Brandon Miller has also made a considerable impact. Miller, 23, is the team’s leading scorer in his third season. In addition, 24-year-old big man Moussa Diabaté has become a reliable rebounder for the team.
Miles Bridges is still doing his thing, too. The future is bright for the Hornets, who are suddenly 1.5 games behind the Hawks and ranked ninth in the Eastern Conference, in the best playoff position.
Charlotte faces Atlanta twice in its next three games, starting Saturday night.