The Orlando Magic got beat from the opening tip as the Charlotte Hornets ran through them in a game that was truly befitting the tank.
From the very first possession of the game, the Charlotte Hornets were going to swarm and attack the undermanned Orlando Magic. The Magic opted to sit Aaron Gordon and Nikola Vucevic, both healthy-ish scratches. Jonathan Isaac remained out too.
The Magic’s lineup hardly resembled one they would throw out if the game had any meaning. Little-used veterans Arron Afflalo and Marreese Speights played meaningful minutes. They had to with the team’s lack of depth and decision to go all out for that thing fans have been calling for in a while.
The Hornets attacked early and often, breaking down the Magic’s overmatched and small defenders to get into the lane. There they found Dwight Howard on the inside for dunks or shooters at the 3-point line or trips to the foul line.
The Magic were always a step behind. And their offense certainly was not going to do anything to keep pace. The Charlotte Hornets led by as much as 45 points, scoring 43 in the first quarter. They easily romped to an 137-100 win at the Amway Center on Friday.
The Magic could easily use being undermanned as an excuse. It is a big reason why the team lost by so much. Orlando has seemingly embraced its fate and is willing to do some chicanery to make sure they remain in the top five of the lottery. A two-game win streak at this point of the season will do that.
Orlando shot just 44.7 percent from the floor. The team struggled to get any kind of offensive flow. Most of their major offensive weapons were off the floor. And with this incredibly streaky crew, the team was either going to stay hot and keep in the game or face a result like this.
At a certain point in a blowout like this, it just feels like a team goes through the motions.
It was not that the Magic played without effort or even poor energy, at least early. The Magic were just a step behind. And maybe they were not willing to make the second efforts they would need to stay competitive. Not with the Hornets willing to put that effort in and play the majority of their rotation their regular minutes.
The Magic were destined to lose this game. They made that decision when they sent out the lineup they did. But Orlando got completely outplayed in every way.
Hopefully, those lottery balls are worth it in the end. It sure did not feel like it at the time.
Next: Orlando Magic Daily Podcast: Preparing for the future
The Orlando Magic head out on the road next to take on the Toronto Raptors at the Air Canada Centre.