Charlotte Hornets at Orlando Magic Game Preview

Breaking down the Wednesday night matchup between Charlotte and Orlando.

Game 5: Charlotte Hornets (3-1) vs Orlando Magic (1-3)

The Hornets are coming off their first loss the season as they fell to the Boston Celtics 140-129 in overtime. They had several chances to put the game away in regulation but a slew of turnovers and missed free throws allowed Boston to stay within reach.

Despite the loss, head coach James Borrego was proud of the way his guys played. “Our guys were fighting their tails off. Could we have been better? Yeah. But they have two great offensive players... I still love the spirit and effort right now.”

LaMelo Ball continues to be heading in the direction of being an NBA All-Star and you could also make the same argument for Miles Bridges who is off to a terrific start this season. Those two guys alone will give the Magic a lot of challenges in this matchup.

Orlando is a young team with very little depth. They're having to rely on guys in the first, second, or third year of their careers. Jalen Suggs and Cole Anthony are going to be good players down the road but they are navigating the difficult transition from college to the NBA. 

Defensively, the Hornets appear to be improved from what they displayed a year ago. This is a matchup that should play right into their hands considering Orlando's offensive struggles. Not only do the Magic shoot the ball poorly but they average to turn the ball over 16.5 times per game. 

2020-21 Team Stats

PPG: 98.3 (ORL), 121.5 (CHA)

RPG: 46.5 (ORL), 48.0 (CHA)

APG: 21.0 (ORL), 28.3 (CHA)

FG%: 40.5% (ORL), 46.3% (CHA)

3FG%: 31.4% (ORL), 40.1% (CHA)

FT%: 75.8% (ORL), 71.4% (CHA)

2020-21 Team Leaders (Returners only):

Minutes: Franz Wagner - 33.0 (ORL), Miles Bridges - 35.3 (CHA)

FG%: Robin Lopez 66.7% (ORL), Mason Plumlee - 56% (CHA)

3FG%: Patty Mills - 46.2% (ORL), Ish Smith - 100% (CHA)

PPG: Cole Anthony - 15.0 (ORL), Miles Bridges- 25.0 (CHA)

RPG: Wendell Carter Jr. - 9.3 (ORL), Mason Plumlee - 10.3 (CHA)

APG: Cole Anthony - 5.8 (ORL), LaMelo Ball - 6.8 (CHA)

SPG: Jalen Suggs - 1.3 (ORL), Miles Bridges - 2.3 (CHA)

Stat key: PPG - points per game | RPG - rebounds per game | APG - assists per game | SPG - steals per game

Nets roster

PG: Cole Anthony, R.J. Hampton

SG: Jalen Suggs, Terrence Ross, Gary Harris

SF: Franz Wagner, Ignas Brazdeikis

PF: N/A

C: Wendell Carter Jr., Mo Bamba, Moritz Wagner, Robin Lopez

Head coach: Jamahl Mosley

Hornets roster

PG: LaMelo Ball, Ish Smith

SG: Terry Rozier, James Bouknight, Kelly Oubre Jr., Scottie Lewis

SF: Gordon Hayward, Miles Bridges, Cody Martin

PF: P.J. Washington, Kai Jones, Jalen McDaniels

C: Mason Plumlee, Nick Richards

Head coach: James Borrego

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