charlotte hornets Reached above .500 for the primary time within the 2025–26 season (32–31) with a 118–89 win over Boston on March 4, the most recent spectacular win for a group within the hunt for a playoff berth.
The Hornets have gained six consecutive video games by 15 or extra factors, Longest such streak by any team For the reason that 2017–18 Golden State Warriors and tied for the second-longest streak of its type in NBA historical past.
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A lot of Charlotte’s success is tied to Wisconsin Lutheran Excessive College alumnus Kon Knueppel, who’s having an electrical rookie season. He is as much as 19.2 factors, 3.4 assists and 5.5 rebounds per sport for Charlotte, capturing 43.6% from three-point vary and making 216 from past the arc, greatest within the NBA and already an NBA rookie report.
February 22, 2026; Washington, District of Columbia, United States; Charlotte Hornets guard Kon Knueppel (7) takes a shot throughout the second half towards the Washington Wizards at Capital One Enviornment. Necessary Credit score: Daniel Cousin Jr.-Imagin Photographs
Second-place Tyrese Maxey of Philadelphia, who has scored 199 runs this season, is nicely off the tempo.
It seems that Knueppel, chosen fourth within the draft, has missed his school roommate and No. 1 total choice, Dallas’ Cooper Flagg. As a possible favorite to win the league’s Rookie of the Year award.
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betmgm Knueppel’s odds are at minus-170 in comparison with plus-130 for the Flag and plus-12500 for Philadelphia’s VJ Edgecombe.
fanduel Knueppel offers minus-150 odds in comparison with plus-120 for the flag.
If he wins, Knueppel could be the primary Wisconsinite to win the award, which started in 1953.
It would not harm that Charlotte is simply 2½ video games behind Philadelphia for the No. 6 seed, the final spot within the playoff subject that does not must make its approach by way of the play-ins. With a five-game lead over Milwaukee within the closest menace of knocking Charlotte out of a play-in place, it seems to be protected that the Hornets will play not less than that portion of the postseason.
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Dallas and the flags are eight video games away from the closest play-in spots within the West. Flagg scored 20.4 factors per sport, together with 6.6 rebounds and 4.1 assists.
This text initially appeared on the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Hornets’ Kon Knueppel favored to win NBA Rookie of the Year
