Orlando Magic vs. Charlotte Hornets (Oct. 27, 2021): 3 Things To Watch, Odds and Prediction

The Orlando Magic return to the Amway Center to face a scorching Charlotte Hornets team eager to step up in the Eastern Conference.

Orlando Magic (1-3) vs. Charlotte Hornets (3-1)

Time/TV: 7 p.m./Bally Sports Florida
WATCH MAGIC-HORNETS ON FUBO TV
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Line: Hornets by 5.5
Tickets: $10-$193 on StubHub
2021 Season Series: Hornets 107, Magic 104 in Orlando on Jan. 24; Magic 117, Hornets 108 in Orlando on Jan. 25; Hornets 122, Magic 112 in Charlotte on May 7
2022 Season Series: Tonight in Orlando; Nov. 24 in Orlando; Jan. 14 in Charlotte; April 7 in Charlotte

OMD Prediction

The Charlotte Hornets have been a pleasant surprise to start the season. This young group has seen impressive growth from LaMelo Ball especially that seems to point to a stronger than usual sophomore year. Everyone is already anointing him a star. And why not? The Hornets are winning and seem to fit perfectly together — all this with Terry Rozier still out with a sprained ankle (he is listed as DOUBTFUL for Wednesday’s game).

The Orlando Magic still have a lot of work to do. And this will be a tough, dynamic and creative offense to go up against. The Magic will have to be set and get back in transition to handle the Hornets’ attack. Where the game might turn is whether Orlando can get on the attack again.

3 Keys To Watch

Transition troubles

The Orlando Magic’s big weakness on defense so far has been the team’s poor transition defense. This is as much a product of the team’s poor shooting and high turnover rate. Orlando is near the bottom of the league in both categories. That has left the Magic at 29th in the league so far, giving up 19.8 fast-break points per game.

The Charlotte Hornets are one of the better teams in transition — sitting eighth with 15.8 fast-break points per game. They are also one of the fastest-paced, highest-possession teams in the league. The Magic are one o the slowest. So something is going to give. Orlando has to be better getting back at transition and pushing the ball ahead on offense. Pace will play a big deal in this game.

Center Duo

There were a lot of questions when the Orlando Magic experimented with Wendell Carter playing alongside Mo Bamba. It felt like a nice experiment when the Magic did it in the preseason. Then it slowly became maybe it can work. Now it feels like it is actually really effective.

The Carter-Bamba duo has a -9.5 net rating in 86 minutes together (97.8 offensive rating/107.3 defensive rating). So the duo has started to slow down after a really fast start. They need the right guards — and especially Franz Wagner — to make it work. The starting group is still one of the best playing groups the Magic have.

Orlando will be eagerly waiting for Chuma Okeke to return — he remains listed as OUT for tonight’s game. He likely slides into the starting lineup when he is ready to play.

This game will be a special challenge for the two-big lineup. Mason Plumlee has been anchoring a super big and versatile lineup with Miles Bridges scoring 25.0 points per game to lead the team. This is an athletic team with length. The Magic are not exactly speedy enough to handle it all.

Bench Points

The Orlando Magic’s bench is a mess. The team averages only 33.0 points per game off the bench and shoot an icy 38.1-percent among bench players. Worse than that, the Magic’s starting group is really the only group that has a positive net rating (but it is really positive). Orlando has struggled to get its bench unit together.

The Charlotte Hornets, on the other hand, have gotten a lot of big contributions from their bench. They get 36.8 points per game off their bench with a 41.9-percent 3-point field goal percentage. This includes big games from Ish Smith and Cody Martin against the Brooklyn Nets on Sunday. Charlotte rode its bench to the win.

Orlando has struggled when the team breaks the lineup. That might be where this game is decided.