Orlando Magic Grades: Charlotte Hornets 120, Orlando Magic 116
The Orlando Magic looked good for three quarters against the Charlotte Hornets, unfortunately NBA games run for four, and sometimes even overtime.
120. 170. Final. 116. 38
The Orlando Magic dominated the third quarter and entered the final period with a 15-point lead, but the Charlotte Hornets would entirely erase all of those good feelings in the fourth quarter.
The Magic turned it over nine of its 19 times in the fourth, and if not for a desperation banked three by Victor Oladipo, Orlando would have walked off the court with a loss it fully deserved.
Instead, that only prolonged the agony another five minutes as Charlotte commanded control of the game in overtime behind the brilliant play of Kemba Walker.
The Magic offense looked good for 36 minutes of a 53 minute game, but doing the math, that clearly is not enough to win an NBA game.
Orlando Magic. VICTOR OLADIPO. B+. <p>Victor Oladipo made his return to the team and to the starting lineup in this game, and he was easily the best player on the court for Orlando in this loss. He had 14 points in the third quarters as the Magic opened up a 19-point lead that would eventually evaporate entirely.</p><p>Oladipo struck early in scoring the Magic’s first bucket of the game, and it was clear to see by his motion that he was ready to be back on the court. He had 11 points in the first seven minutes of the third quarter, and finished the game 11 of 19 from the floor with five made threes and a team-high 29 points. One of those threes was the improbable bank shot that pushed the game to OT.</p><p>Oladipo’s biggest play came following an <strong><a href=. G
<p><strong><a href=. PG. Orlando Magic. ELFRID PAYTON. C+
F. Orlando Magic. AARON GORDON. C. <p>Aaron Gordon picked up three fouls in the first four minutes of the game, sending him to the bench before he ever even got his momentum really going. It was a black cloud over his game, as it left him on the bench the remainder of the first half. And he eventually did in fact foul out.</p><p>But there were positive signs in Gordon’s play, too, as he finished with 10 points, seven boards and four assists. He had an impressive dunk on a backdoor feed from Payton before checking out in the first quarter, and his coast-to-coast (unconverted three-point play) bucket in the third put Orlando up by nine points as the team really started to build some real momentum. Gordon’s short jumper later in the third gave Orlando a lead of 92-74.</p><p>Gordon hit a tough contested three that pulled Orlando within a point in the overtime period, and Gordon did in fact hit all four of his attempted field goals. It is just that with the silly fouls (some of which were offensive), it is hard to give him an overwhelmingly good mark for this game. It was not a bad first start of the year for Gordon, but it certainly could have been far better. Perhaps that statement applies team-wide, in fairness.</p>
B. <p>The Hornets really had no business winning this game as poor as their defense was, but to simply leave it at that would fail to illustrate how equally putrid the Magic’s defensive effort was.</p><p>Charlotte did not allow itself to get too rattled when it fell down by 19 points, and the fourth quarter alone was enough for Kemba Walker and company to salvage victory in this one. The Hornets put five players in double figures while hitting 10 of 27 from 3-point range.</p><p>Charlotte also limited itself to just 10 turnovers while forcing 19 miscues from the Magic. While the Hornets did allow the Magic to shoot just less than 50 percent from the floor, they held their own on the glass and executed their own offense well enough to keep the game within striking distance just for the Magic to blow it at the end.</p><p>This game was sort of a contest to see whose defense could be slightly less horrible, and the Hornets won that bet.</p>. 20-23. 12th East. CHARLOTTE HORNETS