The Charlotte Hornets certainly aren’t battling for a playoff spot this season. Despite the 10th-seeded Chicago Bulls being 12 games under .500 in the Eastern Conference, Charlotte has no realistic chance of moving to that position. They have now lost four in a row, dropping their record to 14-43, second-worst in the East. The Hornets set a new NBA record in futility Tuesday when looking at their last three outings, all lost in blowout fashion.
Charlotte Hornets Set New NBA Record In Futility
Hornets Set New Record For Worst Three-Game Stretch
There’s a difference between an NBA team not being good and one that is just not being competitive. Of late, the Hornets are in the latter column, and they have now secured a record they wish they hadn’t. In their last three contests, they have been outscored by a whopping 131 points. That is the worst point differential over a three-game stretch in NBA history by 17 points.
With tonight’s 36-point loss to the Golden State Warriors, the Charlotte Hornets surpassed the Portland Trail Blazers’ 2022 record of 114 points for the largest point margin in three consecutive NBA losses. The new record is 131 points.
53 + 42 + 36 = 131
pic.twitter.com/I5YUyr6g0f
— /r/CharlotteHornets (@HornetsReddit) February 26, 2025
Charlotte’s most recent depressing outing came on Tuesday. On the road against the Golden State Warriors, they fell by the score of 128-92. Remarkably, that 36-point loss is the closest of their last three games. The Hornets were without their leading scorer LaMelo Ball in the contest due to right ankle injury management. By looking at Charlotte’s final numbers for the game (37.1% shooting, 24 turnovers), it’s fairly evident why they lost in blowout fashion. Down by 15 at halftime, Golden State outscored them 41-24 in the third quarter, putting the game completely out of reach.
Ball played in the prior two games for Charlotte though, and those ended up as even larger blowouts. Tuesday was the second of a back-to-back for the Hornets as they were on the road against the Sacramento Kings on Monday. That was a 42-point loss for Charlotte as the final score was 130-88. The Hornets shot just 35.3% from the field and were outscored 42-16 in the final stanza.
The worst of the three losses though came last Saturday in an away outing against the Portland Trail Blazers. What was the final score? Portland 141, Charlotte 88. The 53-point victory was the largest in Trail Blazers history. The Hornets shot just 34.7% from the field in the contest.
West Coast Trip Nearing Its Conclusion
The Hornets are nearing the conclusion of a six-game West Coast trip (thankfully). They have one game remaining on it when they take on the Dallas Mavericks on Thursday.
Prior to the three non-competitive games they recently lost, they actually started the trip with a notch in the win column. That came last Wednesday when they eked by with a three-point win over the Los Angeles Lakers. That was followed by a 15-point loss at the hands of the Denver Nuggets the very next day.
With 25 games remaining, the Hornets are on pace for their worst season by record in over a decade, owning a win percentage of .246. In 2011-12, while known as the Charlotte Bobcats at the time, they went 7-59 in a lockout-shortened season. Their .109 winning percentage that year is the worst in NBA history.
Photo credit: © Ed Szczepanski-Imagn Images
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