Hornets Lose to Wagner Brothers, Magic

The Charlotte Hornets winning streak was halted at four games with a loss to the Orlando Magic, who were on a ten game losing streak, 116-109, Friday night.

The game was the perfect trap situation for the Hornets. They allowed the Magic to get wide open shots from downtown with little resistance. After a timeout by coach James Borrego, which seemed to rally the troops, the Hornets went on a 13-2 extended run to take an early lead. The teams exchanged baskets for a short time, which included a couple of dunks by Charlottes’ big man Mason Plumlee. The first quarter concluded with the Hornets having a 36-35 advantage.

The Magic came out with a lot of energy in the second quarter. It took the Hornets a couple of minutes to match their intensity. There was a little bit of chippiness in the quarter, as some of the Hornets players were not pleased with the chest thumping of the Wagner brothers, especially Franz, who brought intensity throughout the game. The entire quarter was played at a stalemate and it finished with the Hornets taking a two point lead into the locker room, 63-61.

The Hornets put on a show to start the second half. First LaMelo Ball sent Cole Anthony stumbling by faking a drive to the basket, then stepping back to knock down a three-pointer. On the next play, he came up with a steal, drove 94 feet, and went between his legs with the ball while in the air, before throwing a spectacular alley-oop pass to Miles Bridges, who finished with a dunk.

The Hornets momentum was short lived, as the Magic went on a 13-2 run to answer. Charlotte did not let the Magic run away and hide. They turned to Ish Smith late in the quarter for a spark. The Hornets picked up the pace on the offensive end of the court and they also created turnovers on defense. They took a four point lead as a result, but it was quickly wiped away. The Hornets got to the free throw line on the last possession of the quarter and were able to push their lead to three points, 91-88, going into the fourth quarter.

The Magic went on a 15-2 run to take an early eight point lead in the fourth quarter. The Hornets started the quarter on a frigid pace, shooting only 1-for-11 from the field. Ball finally stopped the bleeding with a heavily contested three-pointer in the corner. Jalen McDaniels also made a three on the next possession to pull the Hornets within four. The Hornets could not get any closer, as the Magic took a 13 point lead with under three minutes to go. They went on to win, 116-109.

“It feels good for these guys to be able to celebrate all of the work that we have put in,” said Magic coach Jamahl Mosley. “… They have done a great job of just staying the course and continuing to compete for one another.”

Moritz Wagner scored a season-high 26 points, had four rebounds and one assist for the Magic off the bench. Franz added 19 points and seven assists. Gary Harris contributed 18 points, two rebounds and two assists.

LaMelo Ball had a team high 23 points, with eight assists for the Hornets. Miles Bridges had 20 points, three rebounds and three dimes. Terry Rozier had 19 points, but shot just 4 of 15 from downtown. Gordon Hayward had 18 points, along with three rebounds and three assists.

“Yeah, disappointing loss,” Hornets coach James Borrego said. “They played harder. They were the more aggressive team. They acted like we did for the last couple games, so credit to them. We have a ways to go.”

The Magic go on the road to face Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks on Saturday. The Hornets travel to New York to take on RJ Barrett and the New York Knicks on Monday.

Related articles

Share article

Latest articles

WZGV Public File WZGV EEO 2023 WZGV EEO 2024 FCC Applications