The Orlando Magic struggled on both ends for the first time all year. Unable to corral Kemba Walker, they fell on the road to start a three-game trip.
Kemba Walker was the momentum stopper.
Jonathon Simmons helped bring some energy to a struggling Orlando Magic team and bring the team within three points of the Charlotte Hornets on the road. And Jonathon Simmons would get the call defending Kemba Walker down the stretch.
It did not matter very much. Even with Simmons’ prodigious defensive ability. Orlando was too disconnected defensively and Walker too good.
Walker would come over screens and read the defense, seeing Nikola Vucevic dropping down, and fire for three. Or he would squeeze through the defense trying to close him down and force the next level of the Magic defense to step in.
In all, Walker totaled 34 points on 15-for-25 shooting to spearhead a 120-113 Hornets victory at Spectrum Center on Sunday. When he was in the game, the Hornets were an astounding +22. The Magic could only make their runs when Walker was out of the game. And their shots just fell too late.
In what is undoubtedly the worst game the Magic have played on both ends, they gave into frustration numerous times as the Hornets stymied their offense time and time again. It did not help the Magic missed nearly every open shot they could get in the first half.
Orlando started at a deficit, it seemed, against a good defensive team and could never find their connectivity. The ball did not move crisply around the perimeter or in and out. The Magic settled for shots and got caught forcing everything.
Orlando shot 42.3 percent from the floor and 11 for 33 from beyond the arc. It was just not a good night. Especially for the defense to struggle so much.
Kemba Walker was a big part of it, but Dwight Howard did his part too. Howard sucked up a lot of attention in the paint, scoring 22 points and grabbing 10 rebounds. And the Hornets beat a late-rotating and collapsing Magic defense for 68 points in the paint.
Orlando could not keep its containment or rotate effectively. All the Magic’s weaknesses defensively they had successfully hidden so far came to roost. Orlando could not get the stops it needed down the stretch as the offense struggled to find its footing.
The Magic kept themselves in it. They never lost complete touch with the Hornets. They had a chance to win in the end, but could not get over that final hill. Charlotte took advantage of Orlando’s weaknesses and handed Orlando its second defeat.
Next: Early season trends for the Orlando Magic
The Magic will have to pick up the pieces quickly. They head to New Orleans on Monday night to take on the New Orleans Pelicans next.