The Orlando Magic were unable to pick up a win against the Charlotte Hornets as the defense struggled once again, in yet another embarrassing defeat.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T | |
| All NBA | 32 | 30 | 35 | 23 | 120 |
| Magic | 28 | 27 | 13 | 33 | 101 |
The Orlando Magic knew the skillfull Charlotte backcourt of Nicolas Batum and Kemba Walker would challenge them. The two combined to score 41 points in a 120-101 win Wednesday night at the Amway Center.
What they did not expect was the barrage that came their way in the third quarter, and how little they could do to stop it.
Orlando started off the third quarter rusty once again asCharlotte took advantage of the Orlando’s poor offense. As a result, the Hornets picked up quick buckets on the other end. Charlotte outscored Orlando 35-13 in the third quarter, the largest margin in a third quarter for the Magic this season.
Everything seemed to be working for the Hornets. They got to the free throw line 19 times, shot 10 for 24 from the 3-point line (42 percent). The Hornets bench scored 49 points as the Magic defense had no answer for the Hornets team in general throughout the embarrassing loss Wednesday night.
Walker and Batum both excelled at what they are best at. They both drove the ball into the paint, drawing the Magic big men, which resulted in the ample amount of open looks on the perimeter for the offense. Batum and Walker had 13 out of the 25 assists for Charlotte on the night, controlling the tempo of the game.
The Magic starters had a very icy game on the offensive end. They accumulated only 45 points as the Magic bench combined for 56. Ibaka got off to a great start, but it certainly did not translate over to his teammates.
“We had a lot of good looks that went stone cold,” Magic coach Frank Vogel said after the game. “We got a lot of decent looks.”
Those looks just did not go in. The Magic shot an abysmal 9 for 35 (26 percent) from the 3-point line, which did not help the Magic’s cause.
“We didn’t have enough defensive disposition tonight,” Vogel added. “We were great the last couple games, credit the Hornets they passed the ball extremely well.”
The Magic will look to put this loss behind them as they take on the Indiana Pacers in their first game of the new year in 2017.
The Magic will have plenty of practice time to improve their struggling defense, as they have three long days to assess their weaknesses and improve against another Eastern Conference opponent.