Orlando Magic Grades: Orlando Magic 122, Charlotte Hornets 114
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.
122. 38. 114. 170. Final
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.
A+. The Orlando Magic needed a spark and Terrence Ross, as he always seems to, provided the flames. The “Human Torch” caught fire and never seemed to extinguish. He could be open, cutting to the basket, near a rebound or covered, he was making his shot. Ross sparked the Magic and gave the team all the confidence they would need.<p>Ross finished with a season-high 35 points on 6-for-10 3-point shooting. He was doing it from everywhere and he clearly had the irrational confidence working early. Ross was just everywhere offensively. And playing with the bench unit against a weaker Hornets bench only helped him.</p><p>That spark clearly eased the team back into the game. The Magic were struggling to get their offense going without Ross in there. And his ability to catch fire constantly kept the Hornets at bay. He answered every call from Kemba Walker. And that was all they needed.</p>. G/F. Orlando Magic. TERRENCE ROSS
F. Orlando Magic. AARON GORDON. B+. The Orlando Magic wanted Aaron Gordon to be the guy they played through in the early stages of this game. They kept trying to use the Charlotte Hornets’ switching to his advantage and load him up in the post. That was not successful early on. Gordon’s tendency to settle for fadeaway jumpers and always turn over his left shoulder kept him from scoring at the rate he could.<p>Eventually, he figured things out though. He got his shot rolling to make 11 of 18 shots to score his 27 points. Gordon got that shot working and was able to get in transition and attack the offensive glass. He started forcing his way to the rim and had some thunderous dunks to power the Magic through the third quarter.</p><p>His defense was the real story. He helped slow down Miles Bridges for most of the night and take out one of the Hornets’ best young scoring options. The Magic needed that energy to get things going and stay in the game.</p>
B+. <a href=. PG. Orlando Magic. D.J. AUGUSTIN
C. Orlando Magic. AMILE JEFFERSON. A-. <a href=
B. The Charlotte Hornets tried. They rallied like crazy to put pressure on the playoff teams and try to get into the playoffs. Kemba Walker did everything humanly possible in the last few weeks to get them there. They just ran out of time.<p>The Hornets got another superhuman effort from Walker in this one. He scored 43 points and did everything possible to put pressure and break down the Orlando Magic’s defense. Orlando had no answer for him and no way to slow him down.</p><p>Charlotte’s defense just could not get the job done. Terrence Ross was equally devastating and the Hornets had no answer for him. The Magic were able to get to the basket and break them down constantly. Charlotte just did not have the horses to get to the finish line in time.</p>. 39-43. 9th East. CHARLOTTE HORNETS
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.
Next. 5 adjustments the Orlando Magic must make in the playoffs. dark
Game 1 of their playoff series with the Raptors will take place Saturday at 5 p.m. at Scotiabank Arena.