The Orlando Magic won the No. 8 seed in the Eastern Conference, demolishing the Charlotte Hornets in the NBA play-in tournament, 121-90. Orlando will now face the top-seeded Detroit Pistons in a first-round playoff matchup beginning on Sunday.
Charlotte was one of the most exciting teams in the NBA, making a surprising run to a play-in berth with an explosive offense. Meanwhile, Orlando was one of the league’s more disappointing teams, having to fight for a play-in spot, rather than finish among the East’s top contenders. Yet Friday’s result looked nothing like that.
Advertisement
Paolo Banchero scored 25 points with five rebounds, six assists, two steals and one block to lead the Magic. Franz Wagner followed with 18 points, seven rebounds and six assists, while Wendell Carter Jr. added 16 points (hitting both of his 3-point tries) and six boards.
Orlando put the Hornets in a deep hole early with stifling defense and accurate shooting. The Magic forced four turnovers and blocked two shots in the opening 12 minutes and had runs of 10-0 and 13-0 to seize control of the game. Hornets coach Charles Lee twice called timeout in an attempt to slow Orlando down, but that didn’t work.
The Magic led 38-16 after the first quarter, shooting 67% (16-of-24) from the floor. Banchero started red-hot, scoring 12 points on 5-for-7 shooting. Carter was right behind him, tallying 10 and hitting all four of his shots.
Advertisement
Stymied by a tight Magic defense, the Hornets began shooting 25% (5-for-20) and an offense dependent on the 3-pointer (Charlotte averaged 43.3 3-point shots per game) couldn’t hit any, going 3-of-10 from behind the arc in the opening 12 minutes.
Orlando didn’t let up in the second quarter, continuing its defensive pressure and making the Hornets settle for poor shots. The Magic finished the half with five blocks and held Charlotte to 34% shooting. LaMelo Ball scored only two points, hampered in part by three personal fouls.
Miles Bridges showed his frustration by getting called for a technical foul while pushing down on Desmond Bane after a loose-ball foul.
Advertisement
Even with a huge lead, the Magic continued to play with maximum effort, best demonstrated by Bane diving for loose balls and out-hustling the Hornets. That resulted in numerous easy fast-break baskets for Orlando, even for reserve players like Jamal Cain.
Ball scored 21 points in the second half to finish with 23 for the. Hornets, but the outcome was decided by then. Bridges added 15 and Brandon Miller scored 14, shooting 4-of-7 on 3-pointers. Rookie of the Year contender Kon Knueppel tallied 11 points, shooting 3-for-10 (and 1-of-6 on 3s).
With the defeat, the Hornets miss the playoffs for the 10th consecutive season, the longest drought in the NBA.
Advertisement
Game 1 of the Magic-Pistons first-round NBA playoff series is scheduled for Sunday with tip-off at 6:30 p.m. ET. The two teams split their regular-season series with each team winning two of four matchups.