Hornets Get Payback on Magic, Snap Eight-Game Skid
ORLANDO, FL - Finally, the Charlotte Hornets have put an end to a long, eight-game losing streak with a 112-105 win over the Orlando Magic on Monday night.
The Hornets scored the first seven points on the night and an 8-0 run to push the lead to 17-7 forced Orlando head coach Jamahl Mosley to burn an early timeout. P.J. Washington and Mason Plumlee were active early and often as each posted 10 points in the first 24 minutes of play, shooting a combined 10/15 from the floor.
Orlando's size really bothered the Hornets when the two met just a couple of weeks ago, but that wasn't necessarily the case tonight. Yes, the Magic did pull down 22 offensive rebounds, but it didn't always lead to points. One could argue that Paolo Banchero (ankle) not playing was a major factor, but for me, it was the team defense, aggressiveness, and overall energy Charlotte played with that was the difference.
The Magic threw the ball away 13 times in the first half and were forced into taking some tough shots. Meanwhile on the other end, Charlotte attacked the rim seemingly each trip up the floor, leading to 36 points in the paint in the half - a stark difference from the 38 PIP they scored in the entire game against the Magic on October 28th.
Charlotte had a very balanced offensive attack with seven players reaching double figures - Mason Plumlee (18), LaMelo Ball (17), Terry Rozier (17), Kelly Oubre Jr. (16), P..J. Washington (14), Theo Maledon (14), and Jalen McDaniels (10). Similar to the opening minutes of the game, Orlando got off to a slow start in the second half, allowing the Hornets to stretch their lead out to as many as 19. However, the three ball started to fall, engineering a 13-3 run to chip into the deficit, making it a 96-87 game and thus prompting Steve Clifford to call timeout to regroup.
With a little over a minute left in the game, a Wendell Carter Jr. three and a pair of free throws the next trip up the floor made it 108-101. Terry Rozier came up big with an offensive rebound and putback to put the game out of reach for Orlando.
The Hornets will now return home for a Wednesday night matchup with the Indiana Pacers before hitting the road once again for a couple of games. Charlotte and Indiana are scheduled to tip-off at 7 p.m. EST inside Spectrum Center.
TEAM STATS (ACCUMULATIVE)
1ST CHA 31-23
CHA: 12/25 FG | 3/11 3FG | 11 REB | 7 AST | 2 TOs | 18 PIP
ORL: 9/19 FG | 2/6 3FG | 8 REB | 6 AST | 6 TOs | 14 PIP
2ND CHA 58-45
CHA: 23/46 FG | 3/16 3FG | 19 REB | 13 AST | 6 TOs | 36 PIP
ORL: 18/39 FG | 3/10 3FG | 20 REB | 9 AST | 13 TOs | 30 PIP
3RD CHA 84-69
CHA: 32/65 FG | 5/24 3FG | 29 REB | 17 AST | 10 TOs | 48 PIP
ORL: 26/66 FG | 8/25 3FG | 36 REB | 14 AST | TOs | 34 PIP
4TH CHA WINS 112-105
CHA: 42/88 FG | 7/35 3FG | 37 REB | 22 AST | 13 TOs | 64 PIP
ORL: 36/89FG | 14/36 3FG | 48 REB | 23 AST | 22 TOs | 40 PIP
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