- How To Watch: FanDuel Sports Network Florida (Orlando); FanDuel Sports Network Southeast (Charlotte); NBA League Pass (National)
- STREAM MAGIC-HORNETS ON FUBO TV
- How to Listen: 104.5 The Beat (Orlando); WFNZ 92.7 FM (Charlotte); Sirius XM Channel 212 (Magic); NBA Audio League Pass (National)
- FOLLOW LIVE: @OMAGICDAILY
- Tickets: $54-$1,576+ on StubHub
- Season Series: Magic 123, Hornets 107 in Charlotte on Oct. 30; Hornets 120, Magic 105 in Orlando on Dec. 26; Tonight in Orlando; March 19 in Charlotte
Orlando Magic vs. Charlotte Hornets: Stats and 3 Keys to Watch
Charlotte | Orlando | |
|---|---|---|
98.9 | Pace | 100.7 |
116.3 | Off. Rtg. | 114.4 |
116.3 | Def. Rtg. | 113.6 |
54.3 | eFG% | 52.8 |
34.8 | O.Reb.% | 32.3 |
15.5 | TO% | 14.0 |
25.5 | FTR | 31.2 |
1. Defending the 3-point line
It is just a fact of the NBA that the 3-point line is the difference maker in a lot of games.
Most teams consider 3-point luck to be real. If a team gets hot, there is not a lot anyone can do. And so for a team like the Orlando Magic, that does not lean on 3-point shooting at all, they have taken to the strategy of limiting attempts to begin with.
Orlando leads the leaguegiving up 33.1 3-point attempts per game. That helps counteract any hot-shooting nights the team may face on average -- teams shoot 36.0 percent against the Magic, which is about league average. It is simply a math problem -- fewer attempts equals fewer makes, even at a higher percentage.
That was not the case in the last few games. And it is one of the many areas where the team has seen some slippage.
The Memphis Grizzlies shot 13 for 35 and 17 for 36 in the two games in Europe. The hot shooting from the Grizzlies was a major problem in the game. The New Orleans Pelicans made 14 of 26 attempts in the Orlando Magic's win before the trip.
The Charlotte Hornets are a 3-point-heavy team. They are one of the best shooting teams in the league at this point. They are fifth in the league with 41.3 attempts per game and make 36.6 percent of those shots. In the last 15 games, they have made 38.3 percent of their 42.3 attempts per game.
This game will come down to how Orlando defends the 3-point line and whether Charlotte gets hot or not. The Hornets are coming off a particularly poor game too, making only 8 of 47 attempts in Wednesday's loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers.
2. Start Fast
It seems like the Orlando Magic are constantly tryingto solve a new problem after fixing another one.
Struggling in fourth quarters? They win a close game, but now they cannot start the game well. The first quarter in both games in Europe was not what the Magic imagined. Orlando was climbing uphill from the start.
And it is hard to build and keep momentum when you have to have the energy to come back from the start of the game. If Orlando wants to be more consistent, the team needs to start games better.
The Magic are 17th in the league with a -1.7 net rating with a 116.7 defensive rating. That is typically not enough to bury a team, but it is not the strong start a team would hope for to play from ahead.
In the last 15 games, that has dropped to 26th in the league with a -8.4 net rating and a 118.6 defensive rating.
Orlando just is not starting games off well. And even though there are a lot of things to like with the team's starting five, it is clear the team is not setting the tone the way it needs to.
It is tiring going uphill so often.
3. On the glass
The other area the Charlotte Hornets excel outside of their 3-point shooting is their rebounding. The Hornets are fourth in the league with a 34.8 percent offensive rebound rate. They are fourth in the league with 17.3 second-chance points per game.
While Orlando is generally a solid rebounding team -- fifth in the league with a 70.8 percent defensive rebound rate and second in the league with 13.6 second-chance points per game -- this is an area the team has struggled for a little while now.
And that is especially against the Hornets.
Charlotte had 25 second-chance points in the team's win in December and even 22 in the loss in October. The Magic will need to lock down the boards to stay in front and take advantage of their rest in this one. They cannot give away extra possessions.
Orlando Magic vs. Charlotte Hornets: Injury Report & Projected Lineups
Charlotte Hornets Injury Report (From Wednesday)
- Tre Mann - PROBABLE (Illness)
- Mason Plumlee - OUT (Right Groin Surgery)
- Tidjane Salaun - PROBABLE (Left Achilles Tendinopathy)
- Liam McNeeley - OUT (G-League On Assignment)
- KJ Simpson - OUT (Left Hip Flexor Strain)
- Antonio Reeves - OUT (G-League Two-Way)
- PJ Hall - OUT (G-League Two-Way)
Orlando Magic Injury Report
- Jalen Suggs - OUT (Right Knee MCL Contusion)
- Colin Castleton - OUT (G-League Two-Way)
Projected Starting Lineups
Charlotte | Orlando | |
|---|---|---|
Sion James | PG | Anthony Black |
Brandon Miller | SG | Desmond Bane |
Kon Knueppel | SF | Franz Wagner |
Miles Bridges | PF | Paolo Banchero |
Moussa Diabate | C | Wendell Carter |
Orlando Magic vs. Charlotte Hornets: Prediction
Our Record: 25-17/18-24 ATS
The Orlando Magic have one big thing working in their favor heading into Thursday's game: An extreme rest advantage.
Orlando had to travel from Europe, but has not played since Sunday, with a practice day on Wednesday in between getting reacclimated to being Stateside. The Charlotte Hornets played Wednesday night in an offensive slog against the Cleveland Cavaliers.
If the Magic play with energy out of the gates, they should have enough to outlast the Hornets. But that has been the problem for almost two months now. The Magic do not know what kind of energy they are going to have. That is the question of everything right now.
Charlotte likely will not shoot as poorly as the team did in Cleveland on Wednesday. The Hornets have been one of the top offense in the league for a month now and are in the top 10 in offensive rating for the season. The Magic will need to be sharp on defense.
But if the team plays with renewed focus and energy, Orlando has enough to get the job done and star the second half of the season off well.