- How To Watch: FanDuel Sports Network Florida (Orlando); FanDuel Sports Network Southeast-Charlotte (Charlotte); WSOC 9 (Charlotte); NBA League Pass (National)
- STREAM MAGIC-HORNETS ON FUBO TV
- How to Listen: WYGM 96.9 FM (Orlando); 740AM (Orlando); WFNZ 92.7 FM (Charlotte); Sirius XM Channel 212 (Magic); NBA Audio League Pass (National)
- FOLLOW LIVE: @OMAGICDAILY
- Tickets: $60-$1,554+ on StubHub
- Season Series: Magic 123, Hornets 107 in Charlotte on Oct. 30; Tonight in Orlando; Jan. 22 in Orlando; March 19 in Charlotte
Orlando Magic vs. Charlotte Hornets: Stats and 3 Keys to Watch
Charlotte | Orlando | |
|---|---|---|
99.9 | Pace | 101.2 |
114.4 | Off. Rtg. | 114.9 |
117.7 | Def. Rtg. | 112.8 |
53.7 | eFG% | 53.2 |
33.7 | O.Reb.% | 32.4 |
15.7 | TO% | 14.2 |
26.5 | FTR | 32.4 |
1. The 3-point battle
The Orlando Magic are always seemingly battling the 3-point math.
They are not a volume 3-point shooting team (24th in the league with 33.1 attempts per game) and not a high-percentage team (27th at 34.3 percent). Orlando knows it will not be a great 3-point shooting team. The Magic do not try to shoot threes.
Their real battle is limiting opponent 3-pointers.
The Magic lead the league, giving up 32.3 3-point attempts per game. Teams shoot 35.7 percent from three against the Magic, only 15th in the league. But limiting those attempts means even if they shoot well, they get fewer made threes.
That helps track down the 3-point math.
That will be the big challenge against the Charlotte Hornets.
Hornets coach Charles Lee is a Joe Mazulla disciple and the Hornets are fifth in the league with 41.0 3-point attempts per game. They make only 35.9 percent of those shots, about league average.
They have a pure sharpshooter in rookie Kon Knueppel, who averages 8.7 attempts per game and makes 41.9 percent of his shots. And he has started to come into his own.
Orlando will need to do its job and limit 3-point attempts against a Hornets team that needs shooting to survive and thrives hunting for threes.
2. Lax on the glass
Why do the Charlotte Hornets get so many threes? Part of it is when they push the pace, they spread out to the three-point line. Part of it is because they get a ton of offensive rebounds.
The Hornets are 15th in the league with 11.7 offensive rebounds per game, but fourth with a 33.7 percent offensive rebound rate and 12th with 15.7 second-chance points per game.
A big part of that has been the emergence of rookie Ryan Kalkbrenner, who has been ruled out for Friday's game. Some of it is surely that the Hornets take a ton of threes, and there are a lot of long rebounds.
Either way, the Orlando Magic will need to get sharper on the glass and prevent any second-chance points.
That is something the Magic have typically been good at. Orlando is third in the league with a 71.5 percent defensive rebound rate and second in the league, giving up 13.2 second-chance points per game.
That has become a bit more of a struggle in the last few games.
In Orlando's last five games, the team is 12th with a 70.0 percent defensive rebound rate and 26th giving up 18.4 second-chance points per game. The Magic are bleeding some points on the offensive glass right now. And the team will need to recommit to the defensive glass.
That will not only prevent those hidden possessions. But it will also feed the team's fast break and get them easier scoring opportunities -- another number that is down in the last five games.
3. Getting to the line
The way the Orlando Magic have made up for their poor three-point shooting in the last four years is their ability to get to the foul line. Losing Franz Wagner has taken away one engine for getting to the line. Paolo Banchero is slowly attacking more and getting to the line more.
The Magic need to live at the line to feed their offense when the shots do not go down.
Orlando is second in the league in free throw rate at 32.4 percent. But in the last seven games, that has slipped to 27.2 percent. Even that little difference has major effects on an offense that still struggles to score in the half court.
Getting to the line will be a huge challenge. The Charlotte Hornets do not do a lot well defensively, but they have the lowest opponent free throw rate at 23.3 percent. They do not put teams on the line.
That might mean teams are able to score anyway against them. Charlotte ranks 25th in the league in defensive rating.
But for a Magic team that still has some hurdles on offense, getting to the line is an essential piece of the puzzle.
Orlando Magic vs. Charlotte Hornets: Injury Report & Projected Lineups
Charlotte Hornets Injury Report
- Ryan Kalkbrenner - OUT (Left Elbow Sprain)
- Grant Williams - OUT (Right Knee Surgery)
- Mason Plumlee - OUT (Right Groin Strain)
- Liam McNeeley - OUT (G-League On Assignment)
- Antonio Reeves - OUT (G-League Two-Way)
- KJ Simpson - OUT (G-League Two-Way)
Orlando Magic Injury Report
- Franz Wagner - OUT (Left High Ankle Sprain)
- Jalen Suggs - DOUBTFUL (Left Hip Contusion)
- Moe Wagner - OUT (Left Knee Injury Recovery)
- Goga Bitadze - QUESTIONABLE (Left Knee Strain)
- Tristan da Silva - PROBABLE (Right Shoulder Contusion)
- Colin Castleton - OUT (G-League Two-Way)
Projected Starting Lineups
Charlotte | Orlando | |
|---|---|---|
LaMelo Ball | PG | Anthony Black |
Brandon Miller | SG | Desmond Bane |
Kon Knueppel | SF | Tristan da Silva |
Miles Bridges | PF | Paolo Banchero |
Moussa Diabate | C | Wendell Carter |
Orlando Magic vs. Charlotte Hornets: Prediction
Our Record: 19-11/14-16 ATS
The Orlando Magic are not a full operational team right now. Their last two wins showed how good they can be, building sizable leads against supposedly weaker opponents. It also showed what the team is missing, losing those leads and needing to rally late to secure the wins.
Orlando is still putting its pieces together and trying to survive all the team's injuries, along with Paolo Banchero working his way back into rhythm. The Magic are hoping that Banchero continues to round into a more consistent form. And that they can get healthy.
Some home cooking would certainly help. The Magic always play significantly better at home.
And one truth has remained clear about this Magic team: They are more than good enough to feast on the worst teams in the league. Their standards and abilities rip through teams that are not as disciplined or sound.
That is not to say that this will be some runaway victory over the Charlotte Hornets. They are playing very well and have a lot of offensive weapons.
But the good moments from the Magic should be enough. Especially if the defense straightens itself out.