The Orlando Magic decided to show up to the party and did what they had to do to take care of business.
The first two quarters against the inferior 13-win Charlotte Hornets was ugly and left a lot of meat on the bone. Any team with playoff aspirations needs to win these types of games against shorthanded opponents, but the Magic could only muster 44 points and trailed by two at halftime.
Fortunately for them, they found their shooting stroke in a 33-point third-quarter barrage. A two-point deficit turned into a double-digit cushion and the Magic cruised to a 102-86 win over the Hornets.
The Magic moved to 27-29 on the season, going into a week-long hiatus for the NBA’s All-Star break, which is taking place in San Francisco. When they return to action on February 20 on the road at Atlanta, there will be 26 games remaining on their schedule to bolster their standing and playoff seeding in the Eastern Conference.
Hours prior to tipoff Wednesday at the team’s shootaround, Magic coach Jamahl Mosley warned his team about this being a possible trap game and taking the shorthanded Hornets for granted.
“You speak the truth to exactly what it is,” Mosley said. “We’ve had games where we’ve overlooked teams, and those are the teams that you look back on in April and say, ‘That’s one we could’ve got.'”
With LaMelo Ball (sore right ankle) and center Moussa Diabate (right eye abrasion) added to their laundry list of injuries, the Hornets enter the All-Star break having dropped nine of their last 10 games.
This victory was not ecstatically pleasing to say the least. In the first half, Orlando shot an ice-cold 34 percent from the field and 5-of-21 from downtown. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope’s double technical with two seconds left was a key indicator of the Magic’s frustration.
Instead of letting the anger bowl over and get the best of them, Orlando used the moment to relight their competitive fire.
“I think when you see one of your starters, a veteran, get kicked out of the game like that, right before the half, I think it just adds some fire coming out of the locker room,” Paolo Banchero said.
Embed from Getty ImagesThe offense righted the ship in the second half, shooting 50 percent from the field and 9-of-22 from distance and helped the Magic go into the break with a much-needed victory and feeling good about themselves.
“The word we used is finish,” Mosley said postgame. “Finish this game, finish the possessions, finishing out strong. … You saw the energy within the group, the spirit, the pulling for one another, the communication. That’s what we asked for this game. That’s what we were looking for, and they did it.
“That can give you the momentum going into the break, knowing what you’re capable of doing and how you have to play to get there.”
Banchero led the Magic with 24 points, including 12 points and four of his six assists in the decisive third quarter. He also cleaned the glass with eight boards
Before heading out to compete in the Rising Stars event on Friday, Anthony Black provided a scoring punch off the bench, contributing 18 points on 8-of-13 from the field, plus four rebounds, three assists, two blocks and a steal in 24 minutes.
“He looked really confident making shots, driving the ball, [and] obviously guarding as well,” Banchero said of Black.
Franz Wagner scored 16 on 6-of-10 shooting and surpassed 5,000 career points, while Cole Anthony (13 points) and Wendell Carter Jr. had a double-double (11 points, 11 rebounds) also finished in double figures.
Miles Bridges led the injury-ravaged Hornets with 19 points and eight rebounds. Josh Green and Damion Baugh added 16 points each for Charlotte, who shot 39.5% for the game and lost its third game in a row.
Jalen Suggs, the fourth year starting guard out of Gonzaga, and All-NBA defender, missed his ninth consecutive game and 19th of his past 20. But a week away to heal even more could be just what he and the Magic need.
The Magic’s season resumes Thursday, February 20, against Trae Young and the Atlanta Hawks. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET.
The Hornets are on the road playing LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers on Wednesday, February 19.
