Charlotte Hornets open NBA Playoffs on Sunday
CHARLOTTE, NC (HORNETS) — The NBA has announced the Charlotte Hornets schedule for the first round of the 2016 NBA Playoffs. The No. 6-seeded Hornets will play the No. 3-seeded Miami Heat in a best-of-seven series in the Eastern Conference first round. The second playoff appearance in three seasons, this is the 10th trip to the postseason in 26 years of NBA basketball in Charlotte.
Game 1 of the Hornets-Heat series will be Sunday, April 17, at 5:30 p.m. in Miami. The game will be televised nationally on TNT and air locally on WFNZ-AM (610), the radio home of the Hornets. Game 2 will also take place in Miami on Wednesday, April 20, at 7 p.m. The Hornets will host Games 3 and 4 at Time Warner Cable Arena on Saturday, April 23, at 5:30 p.m. and Monday, April 25, at a time to be determined. The entire Hornets first-round playoff schedule follows:
Game Date Time Site TV
1 Sun., April 17 5:30 p.m. Miami TNT
2 Weds., April 20 7:00 p.m. Miami NBA TV
3 Sat., April 23 5:30 p.m. Charlotte TNT
4 Mon., April 25 TBD Charlotte TBD
5* Weds., April 27 TBD Miami TBD
6* Fri., April 29 TBD Charlotte TBD
7* Sun., May 1 TBD Miami TBD
*= if necessary
All Hornets playoff games will be broadcast on WFNZ-AM (610). The local TV schedule on FOX Sports Southeast will be announced at a later date.
Single-game tickets are on sale now for all three home games online at hornets.com or ticketmaster.com, on the Hornets Mobile App, via phone at 1-800-4NBA-TIX, or at the Time Warner Cable Arena box office.
Additional information about home playoff games, including giveaways and in-arena activations, will be available in the coming days.
The Hornets finished the regular season with a record of 48-34, in a three-way tie for first place in the Southeast Division and a four-way tie for third place in the Eastern Conference. The team’s 48 wins is the fifth-best single-season total in Charlotte NBA history and the most since going 49-33 in 1999-2000, while their 15-win improvement over last season is the second-largest increase between 82-game seasons in Charlotte NBA history, behind only a 22-win improvement in 2013-14. The Hornets posted a 30-11 home mark at Time Warner Cable Arena this season, which was the third-best home record in the Eastern Conference. Since February 1, the Hornets have gone 25-9, posting the best record in the Eastern Conference and third-best in the NBA behind only Golden State and San Antonio during that stretch.
The Hornets and Heat split their four regular-season matchups in 2015-16, with the Hornets topping the Heat 99-81 on December 9 in Charlotte and 109-106 on March 17 in Miami, when they came back from a 15-point deficit to record their first win in Miami since 2010. The Heat defeated the Hornets 104-94 on October 28 in Miami in the season opener for both teams and 98-95 on February 5 in Charlotte.
About Hornets Sports & Entertainment
Hornets Sports & Entertainment owns the Charlotte Hornets and operates Charlotte’s Time Warner Cable Arena. The Charlotte Hornets are a member of the NBA’s Southeast Division. Owned by NBA Legend Michael Jordan, the Hornets organization strives to deliver a relentless attack on the court, an unmatched experience in the stands and a positive impact throughout the community. The name of the city’s original NBA team from 1988-2002, the Hornets moniker returned to Charlotte in May 2014, uniting the rich history of NBA basketball in the Carolinas. Time Warner Cable Arena is the premier destination for sports and entertainment in the Carolinas, hosting over 150 sporting events, concerts and family shows annually. For more information, please visit hornets.com or timewarnercablearena.com.
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