The Orlando Magic dug themselves a deep hole and found a way to cut it to two possessions late. But their inconsistency was too much to overcome in the end.
The Orlando Magic’s shoulders drooped. Frustration grew as it has done so often when shots would not fall. Things got forced and the defense crumbled. The Charlotte Hornets were willing to outwork the Magic and take advantage of this frustration.
The lead grew and the Magic seemed incapable of taking that step forward of matching one good effort with another. Trailing by 26 points in the third quarter, it seemed the Magic were destined to just wilt away.
Scott Skiles though found a patchwork unit that worked. They found energy and started making shots. That picked everything up. That got the team going.
Mario Hezonja came around a screen and made several jumpers. Devyn Marble started to play strong defense on Nicolas Batum and make some key jumpers. Andrew Nicholson got back into the torture chamber and scored in the paint.
Everyone on the floor played a role and whittled the lead away. The 26-point deficit got down to six with two minutes to play. There was nervousness inside Time Warner Cable Arena.
Charlotte’s lead was enough though. The Hornets were able to hold them off. The Hornets collected two offensive rebounds to set up Batum for a layup to finish off the Magic 107-99, holding off a 17-5 run to end the game.
| Score | Off. Rtg. | eFG% | O.Reb.% | TO% | FTR | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Orlando | 99 | 98.8 | 48.8 | 4.3 | 10.0 | 25.3 |
| Charlotte | 107 | 104.7 | 45.5 | 28.3 | 7.8 | 21.0 |
Victor Oladipo (ORL) — 25 pts.; Brandon Jennings (ORL) — 16 pts., 8 rebs.
Nicolas Batum (CHA) — 26 pts., 9 assts.; Marvin Williams (CHA) — 26 pts.
Too little too late for the Magic.
The run in the second quarter — a 30-4 run to end the middle frame — established Charlotte firmly in the lead and showed the inconsistency that had plagued this team forever. Orlando was bricking and missing shot after shot — even good ones — and seemed to get down on themselves.
The Magic shot just 3 for 16 in the second quarter, getting outscored 35-13. They were able to hold the Hornets at bay for some time but then the floodgates seemed to open quickly.
Charlotte was moving the ball and finding Marvin Williams open for 3-pointers. Batum was staring down Evan Fournier and shooting over the top of the shooting guard.
It was difficult for the Magic to find much to slow the Hornets down defensively with Nikola Vucevic and Ersan Ilyasova out and Aaron Gordon and Andrew Nicholson facing foul trouble. So the deficit seemed only to grow.
That was part of the problem with the players the Magic had available throughout the game. It was a hunt to find energy throughout the game. Players were discouraged and clearly dragging.
The Magic got some offensive energy in the third quarter but still struggled to find defensive energy.
That almost entirely bench unit had the energy and focus and patience to chip away at the lead. It was the kind of result and kind of effort Orlando needed throughout the game.
When the Magic built their early lead it was because they were the ones dictating the tempo and pushing the pace. Victor Oladipo scored 15 of his 25 points in the first quarter. Brandon Jennings was smart and patient with the ball, dribbling into the lane and finding others while taking good shots rather than contested step-backs.
Both were getting into the paint and attacking.
There were signs to be concerned that carried through. Mainly on the offensive glass where Charlotte had 15 offensive rebounds and posted a 28.3 percent offensive rebound rate. The Hornets were seemingly always first to loose balls or left without a box out after shots.
Early on when the Hornets were missing shots, the Magic scrambled well to contest these plays, but they kept it closer than their shooting percentage would otherwise indicate.
Those are effort and execution plays teams have to have that do not show up in a box score all the time. The Magic were getting beat there and not finishing off their strong defensive possessions. It would of course turn.
Even as the Magic made their comeback and made the Hornets sweat, the Hornets picked up offensive rebounds and gave themselves extra opportunities.
Orlando’s gave itself a small margin for error after falling behind by so much in the second quarter and even further in the third. Those mistakes added up and those lost possessions could have cost the Magic a chance to complete this comeback.
So too might be the fact they fell behind in the first place and could not put the fire out in time. A common refrain throughout the year.
An all too common refrain.
Too often of late, Orlando has had good starts seemingly frittered away and turned into crushing defeats. The Magic at least this time fought back and gave themselves a glimmer of a chance. But this Magic team continues to battle consistency issues and bringing the same intensity on offense and defense throughout the entirety of a game. No matter who is in.
Next: Injuries forcing Orlando Magic to scramble
Orlando was willing to fight and battle through it at the end. But going down to begin with proved to be too much for the Magic to recover.