Charlotte Hornets Observations

▪  The Charlotte Hornets thought they were getting back power forward Cody Zeller after he went through shootaround Monday morning. But soreness in his right shoulder returned Monday afternoon, and he sat out his sixth consecutive game.

▪  Hornets center Al Jefferson had fluid drained from his sore right knee twice in the past week. Jefferson played only four minutes of the second half Saturday against the Atlanta Hawks when coach Steve Clifford noticed him limping.

▪  Clifford said he believes the Hornets have to go 7-3 over their final 10 games to give themselves a viable chance at qualifying for the playoffs. To get there, Clifford figured 3-2 was the minimum they could afford in the first five and probably 4-1.

▪  ESPN has decided not to televise the Hornets’ home game against the Toronto Raptors on April 8. It was unclear Monday whether SportSouth would pick up that game.

This story was originally published March 30, 2015 at 9:26 PM with the headline "Charlotte Hornets Observations."