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Charlotte Hornets Aim To End NBA Playoff Losing Streak

nba.com

The Charlotte Hornets play their first home game in the NBA playoffs Saturday afternoon. The team is looking to end one of the longest losing streaks in NBA playoff history.

The last time Charlotte’s NBA team won a playoff game, it was the original version of the Hornets. Since that win in 2002, the team has only made the playoffs three times: twice as the Bobcats and this year as the Hornets.

They’ve lost 12 straight games, including the first two in this series at Miami. But there’s a saying in the playoffs: a series doesn’t really begin until a team wins on the road, as Hornets guard Kemba Walker alluded to.

"These guys protected their home," Walker said. "We’ve got to go home and protect ours."

If they lose the next game, the Hornets will tie the NBA’s longest playoff losing streak. They’ve had some bad luck with injuries, and this year is no exception. Nicolas Batum, one of their best players, will miss the next game with a sprained left foot. 

Here’s how head coach Steve Clifford has described the series so far:

"Despite the fact that we didn’t make threes, our offense is more than good enough to win," he said after the second game. "And I mean on the glass half full, our defense in the second half was much better."

Clifford says the team has to get off to a better start defensively in the next one. The Hornets and Heat tip off at Time Warner Cable Arena on Saturday afternoon at 5:30.