The Hornets will play two nationally televised games in the second half of the NBA season

By Chase Whitney

February 24, 2021

Photo: Nell Redmond / AP

The NBA has announced team schedules for the second half of the 2020-21 season. The Charlotte Hornets will resume play after the conclusion of the All-Star break on March 11, and there is a lot to unpack.

The Hornets have long been one of a handful of NBA teams that continually get the minimum number of national television games in a season, but that seems to be changing. After a nationally televised game on ESPN that pitted the Ball brothers against each other on January 8, the Hornets will play two nationally televised games before season’s end. On April 1, TNT’s Inside the NBA crew will watch the Hornets face the Brooklyn Nets in New York, and Kemba Walker’s second game in Charlotte with the Boston Celtics will be broadcast on ESPN April 25.

Of the 37 regular-season games in the second half, home game highlights will include a visit from LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday, April 13; Dame Lillard and the Portland Trailblazers on Sunday, April 18; Zion Williamson and the New Orleans Pelicans on Sunday, May 9; and Kawhi Leonard, Paul George and the Los Angeles Clippers in the final home game of the regular season on Thursday, May 13.

In addition, the Hornets will soon begin allowing fans back in the Spectrum Center after the break. North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper granted pro and college sports the opportunity to allow fans at indoor venues, setting a limit at 15 percent capacity. The Hornets could choose to admit about 3,030 fans per game based on the 20,200 capacity of Spectrum Center.

The second half of the season as a whole shouldn’t be noticeably tougher or easier than the first half, but some things do stand out. For one, the last two games of the season are back-to-back on the road against the New York Knicks and Washington Wizards, and there’s a good chance those games have playoff ramifications with how close those teams are in the standings right now.

After a three-game home stand coming off the All-Star break, the Hornets will fly out west for a five-game stretch against the Nuggets, Lakers, Clippers, Spurs, and Rockets, before playing Miami and Phoenix at home and then heading out for another road trip. That stretch of the schedule from mid-March to early April will probably be the toughest.

Check out the full 2020-21 second-half Charlotte Hornets schedule. 

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