Orlando Magic at Charlotte Hornets (Nov. 25, 2024): 3 Things to Watch, Odds, and Prediction

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Season Series: Magic 114, Hornets 89 in Orlando on Nov. 12; Tonight in Charlotte; Feb. 12 in Orlando; March 25 in Charlotte

OMD Prediction

Our Record: 12-6/7-11 ATS

Two weeks ago, the Orlando Magic entered their NBA Cup game against the Charlotte Hornets still unsure of who they were but growing in confidence. They won two in a row against the New Orleans Pelicans and Washington Wizards to open their homestand. It felt like the Hornets would be a bigger test with some real players who could harm them and the stakes of the NBA Cup.

The Magic instead blew them out They stifled the Hornets in every way and ran them out of the building for a 25-point win.

Even when the Orlando Magic pulled the rotation players in the fourth quarter to prepare for the back-to-back against the Indiana Pacers the next night, they maintained and grew the lead to give them a big cushion for the NBA Cup.

Charlotte will probably remember all of this. And going on the road is a different challenge for Orlando. It just is at this point.

The Hornets are 2-3 since that game in Orlando. Charlotte has scored at least 114 in all five of those games. The Hornets have always had a ton of offensive potential. So the Magic will need to be locked in on their gameplan.

Orlando struggles most with the better offensive teams. Unless Ball goes off again, the Magic should be able to handle their business (provided a few shots go in).

3 Things to Watch

3. Home and Road

The Orlando Magic have made defending their home floor one of their biggest goals this season. They are 8-0 and dominating teams inside the Kia Center. They look like a different team.

While their defense travels, the offense has . . . well, it has not.

At home, Orlando has a 115.5 offensive rating and 98.8 defensive rating. They shoot 33.0 percent from three inside the Kia Center.

On the road, the Magic are 3-7 overall with a 105.4 offensive rating and 110.5 defensive rating. They shoot 29.2 percent from three away from the Kia Center.

That is quite a difference. Even though the Magic still have the seventh-best defense away from home, the offense is so bad it does not matter. Orlando has to find a way to score when the team travels outside the City Beautiful.

The Magic's 2-1 West Coast swing with wins against the Phoenix Suns and Los Angeles Lakers restored some confidence on the road after dropping all five games on the earlier five-game road trip. The Magic will need to make up this ground soon.

It starts with making some shots.

2. LaMelo Breaks Out

There have been a lot of 50-point games already this season. Paolo Banchero had the first one of the season. LaMelo Ball had the latest.

Ball scored 50 points and dished out 10 assists on 17-for-38 shooting and 6-for-17 shooting from three in a 125-119 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks on Saturday. It was Ball's first 40-point game in addition to his first 50-point game.

And it has not been something isolated from Ball. He is averaging 30.2 points per game, counteracting the downturn in his assists to 6.9 per game this year. He even scored 35 points and dished out seven assists in the loss to the Orlando Magic.

Ball is going to get his points, no matter how well the Magic defend him. The Magic though did a good job limiting everyone else on the roster and stifling them defensively. Orlando will have to lock down defensively and keep Brandon Miller in check because LaMelo Ball will get his.

1. Love for Moe Wagner

There is a lot of love right now for Franz Wagner. And rightfully so as he makes a case for his first All-Star bid. Franz Wagner has been outstanding since Paolo Banchero's injury. It is the dominant storyline for the Orlando Magic.

We in the media have often turned to his brother Moe Wagner for perspective on his budding stardom. But that is missing a big story too. Moe Wagner is having a career season too.

The elder Wagner is averaging a career-high 12.9 points per game and 4.5 rebounds per game. After a slow start, he is shooting 64.7 percent on 2-point field goals for the season.

Since Banchero's injury, Wagner is averaging 13.7 points per game and shooting 53.8 percent from the floor. That is third-highest scoring average on the team in that time period. He has only two games scoring fewer than 10 points in that time period too.

As coach Jamahl Mosley joked after Saturday's game, Moe Wagner wakes up with 10 points. That is how reliable he has been.