The Charlotte Hornets are trying to turn a strange opening week into a strong start, and Monday night gives them one more chance to finish the homestand the right way.
Charlotte has already lived through a little bit of everything. A week ago, the team locked up Brandon Miller on a five-year, $209 million rookie-scale extension.
Two days later, the Hornets opened the 2026-27 season by beating Julius Randle and the Brooklyn Nets 110-103. Then came the rough patch: a 128-81 loss to the Atlanta Hawks in the home opener, a night in which Miller managed only 6 points.
A day later, Charlotte bounced back by beating the new-look Miami Heat 115-110.
That win over Miami looked a lot more like the Hornets they want to be. Miller answered the dud against Atlanta with a huge line: 34 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists and a +20. Charlotte also got the better of Giannis Antetokounmpo’s efforts with his new team and snapped back into form just in time for the final game of the three-game homestand.
Now the Hornets get the Washington Wizards at 7 PM Monday at the Spectrum Center.
Washington comes in at 2-1 as well, with Trae Young and Anthony Davis driving the early results. Young has put up 22.3 points and 11.3 assists per game, though his shooting numbers have been shaky at 36.6% from the field and 30.8% from three. Davis opened with a 34-point, 12-rebound performance, but over the last two games he’s come down to earth, averaging 20.7 points and 9.0 rebounds while shooting 41.5% from the field and 16.7% from beyond the arc.
The biggest offseason headline for the Wizards, though, was the arrival of AJ Dybantsa with the No. 1 pick. Washington’s first top selection since 2010, when the franchise took Kentucky’s John Wall, Dybantsa arrived after a lone season at BYU in which he averaged 25.5 points and edged out Duke’s Cam Boozer, Kansas’ Darryn Peterson and UNC’s Caleb Wilson for the honor.
He still hasn’t made his NBA debut, and that won’t change Monday. Dybantsa is OUT with a left ankle sprain, while Tristin Vukcevic is also OUT with a hip injury and Jamir Watkins is OUT with an ACL injury.
Charlotte has its own injury issues to manage. Kon Knueppel is OUT with a hamstring injury, Coby White is OUT with a calf issue, Grant Williams is OUT with a hamstring injury and Kylan Boswell is OUT with a knee injury. Naz Reid is PROBABLE with an illness.
The Hornets have the chance to build on the Miami win and push to 3-1, but they’ll need more from their young core if they want to close the homestand on a high note.
In Other News...
Dennis Schroder Is Giving Hornets Fans A Reason To Believe
Dennis Schroder wasted little time giving Charlotte something to feel good about, scoring 25 points in the Hornets 115-110 win over the Miami Heat. It was the kind of performance that fits the early tone of this new season for a team still trying to establish an identity, and it came from a veteran guard who arrived from Cleveland this offseason with a reputation for fitting into a lot of different places.
Schroders career has taken him through 12 NBA teams, and Charlotte is already seeing why his presence can matter in a tight game. The Hornets are 2-1 after the win, and with Washington up next, there is at least a growing sense that this group can compete when the pace picks up and the shots start falling. [Read more 🡒]
Hornets Face An Early Test Their 2-1 Start Hasn't Answered
Charlottes 2-1 start has brought a little early momentum, but the next stretch offers a cleaner read on where this team really stands. The Hornets have already shown some resilience after taking a heavy loss, and theyve also proven they can rebound quickly after a rough night, which is part of what makes the opening week feel encouraging even if the schedule has been unforgiving.
Washington arrives with the kind of top-end talent that can tilt a game, and that is what gives this matchup its edge from the Wizards side. For Charlotte, the concern is less about the record and more about whether it can match that level of firepower for four quarters, especially after a game that asked plenty of its key scorers and exposed how thin the margin can be against a more star-driven opponent. [Read more 🡒]
Hornets 2-1 Start Comes With One Worry Fans Cant Ignore
A 2-1 start is the kind of opening that usually quiets a few early-season doubts, but Charlotte has not exactly looked like a team easing into things. The Hornets have banked their first two wins by narrow margins, and the underlying numbers have been less flattering than the record suggests. Even with a winning mark heading into the second week of the NBA season, there are already signs that the margin for error is thin.
The bigger concern is what happens once opponents start forcing Charlotte to play from behind or sustain possessions against stronger teams. The Hornets offense and defense have both lagged early, and the injury situation has not helped, with Coby White, Kon Knueppel and Grant Williams all unavailable. For now, the wins are there, but the tests ahead will tell much more about how real this start is. [Read more 🡒]