Stranger Stats #5: The Buzz in January: A Recap of the Hornets’ Historic Month
As a NBA fan, I will have to admit that I rarely think about the Charlotte Hornets. To me, they always seem to be that team who is forever rebuilding. Each year they have high draft pick players, who show glimpse of stardom, and then as the season goes the team keeps on tanking and the cycle repeats itself.
This year, it was looking like just another regular “Hornets” year. By December 31st, 2025, they have a 11 win / 22 loss record, ranked the 4th worst team in the Eastern Conference, and 7th worst team in the league.
HOWEVER, this Hornets team just had a HISTORICAL month in January 2026, straight up rolling towards the end of the month. Let’s have a rundown of what they just accomplished.
1. Most Road Game Point Differential in a Calendar Month
You’d never expect a team with a 33% win percentage to tie the NBA record for most point differential in road games in a single calendar month, but amazingly the Hornets just did it! Let’s take a look at the top 5 teams in the history in this category:
What elite company the Charlotte Hornets find themselves in. All other teams in the top 5 are all-time great teams who made it to the NBA finals that year, and two of them end up winning the chip!
So let’s break down what teams they faced on the road:
Ahh now we see why Hornets came on top on this most point differential list despite losing 3 games: Most of their wins are blowout wins!. In particular, the +55 win against Utah Jazz alone counts as more than 1/3 of their net differential of the month. It’s worth nothing that this +55 win ranks #5 in the largest road-win margins in NBA history, just 2pts shy of the top spot.
Moreover, the Hornets also put up a string of true giant-slayer performances on the road. Coming to the enemies’ territory, they blew out an OKC team with the best record in the league by a wide margin, handled a Luka and LeBron led Lakers squad, and dismantled a hot Nuggets team that had been rolling even in Jokić’s absence.
These weren’t narrow escapes or late-game coin flips. They were decisive wins. That deserves real credit. It’s a true testament to the Hornets’ offensive execution and shot-making ability, especially against elite competitions on the road.
2. A Six-Game Winning Streak (Last Seen in 2016)
Towards the end of the January, the Hornets is straight-up on fire, putting together a six-game winning streak:
The last time they won 6 straight or more was March of 2016, almost 10 years agao! That Hornets team features a young Kemba Walker and Nicholas Batum (who just began his first season with the Hornets, coming from Portland), with Jeremy Lin and Al Jefferson coming off the bench 😂😂. For real tho, checkout the box score for their win over the Suns. Man, that really brings back some nostalgia, doesn’t it?
To really put this in perspective, consider how recently other NBA teams have put together a 6-game (or longer) winning streak. For most franchises, the answer is very recent.
That said, a few teams stand out as having gone a bit longer without one. The Pelicans last reached a 6+ game streak in November 2022, ending a seven-game run. The Nets did it in January 2023, capping a massive 12-game streak (with their Big 3 in KD, Kyrie and the Beard). The Wizards last managed one in January 2023 as well, topping out at six straight wins.
But even those “long gaps” are only about three years ago.
For the Hornets, though, you have to go back nearly a decade.
That contrast says everything. For the first time in a while, the Hornets look like a team with real momentum, and it really just shows how special this current Hornets team has been. Hope they can keep on rolling and keep extending their win streak.
3. Putting the League on Notice
The Hornets’ recent surge hasn’t gone unnoticed. As their January run caught fire, they start to accumulate some league-wide recognition, both at the individual and team level:
Charles Lee named Eastern Conference Coach of the Month
A well-earned nod for orchestrating one of the Hornets’ most disciplined and consistent stretches in years.Kon Knueppel named Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month
Second straight for Kon. Is this the best rookie shooting we’ve seen since Steph? The numbers are definitely suggesting so.Brandon Miller named Eastern Conference Player of the Week (Week 15)
Averaging 26.3 points, 5.8 rebounds and 2.3 assists in their 4-0 week. Well deserved!Over the last 15 games: 1st in offensive rating and 1st in net rating
Not just winning, they are dominating on both ends by the numbers.