If someone said before the season that the Charlotte Hornets would be one of the hottest teams in the NBA, the prediction would have been laughable. Well, the Hornets are the ones laughing now.
The Hornets notched their eighth straight win after stinging the Houston Rockets, 109-99, at Toyota Center on Thursday.
According to ESPN, Charlotte is on an eight-game winning streak for the first time since the 2000-2001 season. It is tied for the team's longest winning streak since getting nine in a row in the 1988-1999 season.
Charlotte is on an 8-game win streak for the first time since 2000-01 🔥
The Hornets were the only team in the NBA to not win eight straight games in that span. pic.twitter.com/T6sywh0XG7
— ESPN Insights (@ESPNInsights) February 6, 2026
Kon Knueppel led the charge against the Rockets with 24 points on 8-of-13 shooting. LaMelo Ball added 20 points, including five three-pointers, six rebounds, and four assists, while Miles Bridges chipped in 18 points and the same number of rebounds and assists.
Charlotte led by as much as 22 points and shot 40% from beyond the arc.
The Hornets were hammering the Rockets so badly that coach Ime Udoka decided to pull out his starters with still eight minutes left in the fourth quarter.
Not many gave Charlotte a chance before the season. After all, the squad has not made it to the playoffs for the last nine years, the longest active drought in the NBA. But with Ball staying relatively healthy, Knueppel being an instant revelation, and Bridges and Brandon Miller providing consistent support, the Hornets have become an unexpected threat in the Eastern Conference.
They added even more offensive firepower after acquiring Coby White from the Chicago Bulls at the trade deadline.
The Hornets will face the Atlanta Hawks on Saturday.
