Six road games in nine days, four different time zones, almost no sleep in between. The 2026-27 Charlotte Hornets schedule buries its toughest stretch in January, sending the team from Portland to Sacramento to the Bay Area to Utah to Denver to Dallas without a home date anywhere in the mix. The season opens more gently — a road trip to Brooklyn on October 21, then a manageable early slate before the real travel starts.
2026-27 Charlotte Hornets Preseason Schedule
| Date | Opponent | Time (ET) |
|---|---|---|
| Wed, Oct 14 | AT Boston | 7:30 PM |
2026-27 Charlotte Hornets Schedule
| Date | Opponent | Time (ET) | TV | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wed, Oct 21 | AT Brooklyn | 7:30 PM | — | Barclays Center |
| Fri, Oct 23 | Atlanta | 7:00 PM | — | Spectrum Center |
| Sat, Oct 24 | Miami | 6:00 PM | — | Spectrum Center |
| Mon, Oct 26 | Washington | 7:00 PM | — | Spectrum Center |
| Wed, Oct 28 | AT Detroit | 7:00 PM | — | Little Caesars Arena |
| Fri, Oct 30 | AT Washington | 7:00 PM | — | Capital One Arena |
| Sat, Oct 31 | Philadelphia | 6:00 PM | — | Spectrum Center |
| Mon, Nov 2 | Detroit | 7:30 PM | — | Spectrum Center |
| Wed, Nov 4 | AT Brooklyn | 7:30 PM | — | Barclays Center |
| Fri, Nov 6 | Boston | 7:00 PM | — | Spectrum Center |
| Mon, Nov 9 | Cleveland | 7:00 PM | — | Spectrum Center |
| Thu, Nov 12 | AT Phoenix | 9:00 PM | — | Mortgage Matchup Center |
| Sun, Nov 15 | AT L.A. Clippers | 4:30 PM | — | Intuit Dome |
| Tue, Nov 17 | AT L.A. Lakers | 10:00 PM | — | Crypto.com Arena |
| Fri, Nov 20 | AT Atlanta | 7:00 PM | — | State Farm Arena |
| Mon, Nov 23 | Memphis | 7:00 PM | — | Spectrum Center |
| Wed, Nov 25 | Chicago | 7:00 PM | — | Spectrum Center |
| Sat, Nov 28 | Brooklyn | 6:00 PM | — | Spectrum Center |
| Mon, Nov 30 | Washington | 7:00 PM | — | Spectrum Center |
| Wed, Dec 2 | AT Boston | 7:30 PM | — | TD Garden |
| Sat, Dec 12 | AT Washington | 7:00 PM | — | Capital One Arena |
| Mon, Dec 14 | Toronto | 7:00 PM | — | Spectrum Center |
| Wed, Dec 16 | L.A. Clippers | 7:00 PM | — | Spectrum Center |
| Fri, Dec 18 | Oklahoma City | 7:00 PM | — | Spectrum Center |
| Sat, Dec 19 | Portland | 6:00 PM | — | Spectrum Center |
| Mon, Dec 21 | Philadelphia | 7:00 PM | — | Spectrum Center |
| Wed, Dec 23 | AT Orlando | 7:00 PM | — | Kia Center |
| Sat, Dec 26 | AT Atlanta | 3:30 PM | — | State Farm Arena |
| Sun, Dec 27 | AT Miami | 6:00 PM | — | Kaseya Center |
| Tue, Dec 29 | Orlando | 7:00 PM | — | Spectrum Center |
| Thu, Dec 31 | San Antonio | 1:00 PM | — | Spectrum Center |
| Sat, Jan 2 | Cleveland | 1:00 PM | — | Spectrum Center |
| Sun, Jan 3 | AT Milwaukee | 5:30 PM | — | Fiserv Forum |
| Tue, Jan 5 | Atlanta | 7:00 PM | — | Spectrum Center |
| Thu, Jan 7 | `Denver | 7:00 PM | — | Spectrum Center |
| Sat, Jan 9 | AT Portland | 10:00 PM | — | Moda Center at the Rose Quarter |
| Sun, Jan 10 | AT Sacramento | 9:00 PM | — | Golden 1 Center |
| Wed, Jan 13 | AT Golden State | 10:00 PM | — | Chase Center |
| Thu, Jan 14 | AT Utah | 9:00 PM | — | Delta Center |
| Sat, Jan 16 | AT Denver | 9:00 PM | — | Ball Arena |
| Tue, Jan 19 | AT Dallas | 8:00 PM | NBC | American Airlines Center |
| Fri, Jan 22 | Houston | 7:00 PM | — | Spectrum Center |
| Sat, Jan 23 | AT Boston | 7:00 PM | — | TD Garden |
| Mon, Jan 25 | Orlando | 7:00 PM | — | Spectrum Center |
| Wed, Jan 27 | AT San Antonio | 8:00 PM | — | Frost Bank Center |
| Fri, Jan 29 | AT Minnesota | 9:30 PM | ESPN | Target Center |
| Sun, Jan 31 | L.A. Lakers | 7:00 PM | — | Spectrum Center |
| Tue, Feb 2 | AT Miami | 7:30 PM | — | Kaseya Center |
| Thu, Feb 4 | Boston | 7:30 PM | AMZN | Spectrum Center |
| Fri, Feb 5 | Golden State | 7:00 PM | — | Spectrum Center |
| Sun, Feb 7 | AT Toronto | 6:00 PM | — | Scotiabank Arena |
| Tue, Feb 9 | AT New York | 7:30 PM | — | Madison Square Garden |
| Thu, Feb 11 | Milwaukee | 7:00 PM | — | Spectrum Center |
| Sat, Feb 13 | Dallas | 3:00 PM | AMZN | Spectrum Center |
| Mon, Feb 15 | Minnesota | 12:00 PM | NBC | Spectrum Center |
| Wed, Feb 17 | Toronto | 7:00 PM | — | Spectrum Center |
| Thu, Feb 25 | AT Orlando | 7:00 PM | — | Kia Center |
| Fri, Feb 26 | AT Houston | 8:30 PM | — | Toyota Center |
| Sun, Feb 28 | Sacramento | 7:00 PM | — | Spectrum Center |
| Wed, Mar 3 | AT Philadelphia | 7:00 PM | — | Xfinity Mobile Arena |
| Sat, Mar 6 | AT Chicago | 5:00 PM | — | United Center |
| Mon, Mar 8 | AT Indiana | 7:00 PM | NBCS | Gainbridge Fieldhouse |
| Wed, Mar 10 | New Orleans | 7:00 PM | — | Spectrum Center |
| Thu, Mar 11 | Indiana | 7:00 PM | — | Spectrum Center |
| Sat, Mar 13 | Phoenix | 6:00 PM | — | Spectrum Center |
| Tue, Mar 16 | AT Oklahoma City | 8:00 PM | — | Paycom Center |
| Thu, Mar 18 | AT New Orleans | 8:00 PM | — | Smoothie King Center |
| Sat, Mar 20 | AT Detroit | 8:00 PM | — | Little Caesars Arena |
| Mon, Mar 22 | AT Memphis | 8:00 PM | — | FedExForum |
| Wed, Mar 24 | Detroit | 7:00 PM | — | Spectrum Center |
| Fri, Mar 26 | New York | 7:00 PM | — | Spectrum Center |
| Sun, Mar 28 | Utah | 6:00 PM | — | Spectrum Center |
| Tue, Mar 30 | Miami | 7:00 PM | — | Spectrum Center |
| Thu, Apr 1 | AT New York | 7:30 PM | — | Madison Square Garden |
| Fri, Apr 2 | AT Milwaukee | 8:00 PM | — | Fiserv Forum |
| Sun, Apr 4 | AT Cleveland | 3:00 PM | — | Rocket Arena |
| Tue, Apr 6 | Indiana | 7:00 PM | — | Spectrum Center |
| Wed, Apr 7 | AT Chicago | 8:00 PM | — | United Center |
| Fri, Apr 9 | Brooklyn | 7:00 PM | — | Spectrum Center |
| Sun, Apr 11 | AT Philadelphia | 6:00 PM | — | Xfinity Mobile Arena |
Hornets vs Hawks 2026-27 Is a Four-Game Southeast Rivalry
Hornets vs Hawks 2026-27 happens four times, and three of the four land inside a two-month stretch — a road game November 20, a home game January 5, and another road trip to Atlanta December 26, before Atlanta returns the favor with one final meeting. Southeast Division games rarely carry playoff weight for either side in a given year, but four meetings squeezed that tightly gives this particular rivalry more storylines than most divisional pairings get.
A Six-Game Western Road Trip With No Rest
Here’s the stretch that defines this schedule. From January 9 to January 19, the Hornets play six straight true road games — Portland, Sacramento, Golden State, Utah, Denver, and Dallas — covering four time zones with zero home dates in between. Five of the six tip off at 9 p.m. ET or later. That’s about as brutal a stretch as any team in this release series has drawn, and it’s the kind of trip that tends to define how a season’s first half gets remembered.
Closing on the Road, Twice at Milwaukee-Adjacent Stops
The final six games lean road-heavy — four of six away from Spectrum Center, including a New York back-to-back-adjacent stretch (Mar 26 home, Apr 1 at MSG) and a season-ending trip to Philadelphia on April 11. After the brutal January stretch, this closing run isn’t as demanding in terms of travel distance, but it still offers little rest with the season on the line.
FAQ
Q: When does the Charlotte Hornets 2026-27 season open?
A: Charlotte opens the regular season on the road against Brooklyn on Wednesday, October 21.
Q: How many times do the Hornets play the Hawks in 2026-27?
A: Hornets vs Hawks 2026-27 happens four times, with three of the four meetings falling between November and January.
Q: What is Charlotte’s toughest road trip in 2026-27?
A: The Charlotte Hornets road trip 2026-27 peaks between January 9 and January 19 — six consecutive true road games against Portland, Sacramento, Golden State, Utah, Denver, and Dallas.
Q: How many home games do the Hornets play in 2026-27?
A: Based on the released schedule, Charlotte Hornets home games 2026-27 total 40 dates at Spectrum Center.
