The Orlando Magic ended their regular season in style with Terrence Ross going off for a season-high and the team clinching the seventh seed.
The Orlando Magic offense was struggling to get much going with Nikola Vucevic out for the game with a stomach illness. The Charlotte Hornets had the best player on the floor in Kemba Walker and the desperation to make the playoffs on the final night of the season. Their switching defense bogged down a team that had to redefine its offensive strategy on the fly.
When something is needed on the fly, the Magic turn to the guy who just lets it fly. And he put on a show.
Terrence Ross heated up late in the first quarter to put the Magic ahead for good. He got Mark Jones on the ESPN broadcast lathered up, exclaiming he was hotter than fish grease.
That might be hot, but it was nowhere near as hot as Terrence Ross ended up. And that seemed to relax everyone as the Magic eventually found their groove and found their way to a 42nd win on the season entering the playoffs.
Ross finished with a season-high 35 points on 6-for-10 shooting from beyond the arc. That was enough to power the Orlando Magic’s offense to a 122-114 win over the Charlotte Hornets and send them into the playoffs as the seventh seed going up against the Toronto Raptors.
The Magic were able to get boosts from all the key players after a slow start offensively. Orlando tried to feed Aaron Gordon in the post early on and struggled to get much going. The Hornets’ switching schemes forced the Magic to play a lot more isolation basketball.
The defense struggled to corral Walker all night. Walker was darting in the lane at will and had a 43-point effort as he tried to will the Hornets to the playoffs. But he was unable to do so with so much of it out of their control — the Detroit Pistons’ win over the New York Knicks eliminated the Charlotte Hornets officially.
Orlando’s defense was able to close Charlotte down enough, slowing Miles Bridges with Aaron Gordon’s athleticism and closing out to Jeremy Lamb and Frank Kaminsky on the perimeter.
The Magic did what they always do, they found a way. They dug in when they had to and they got the win, pulling each other up in the process.
The Orlando Magic finish the regular season at 42-40, a 17-win improvement from last season. They earned the seventh seed in the Eastern Conference.
Game 1 of their playoff series with the Raptors will take place Saturday at 5 p.m. at Scotiabank Arena.