Meet the Opponent: 3-Point-Happy Charlotte Hornets Open Magic's NBA Cup Slate

First-time head coach Charles Lee, hired away from the champion Boston Celtics, is incorporating a similar offensive approach with the Charlotte Hornets: Shoot threes. Lots of them. Tuesday's matchup with the Orlando Magic is the first game of the NBA Cup in-season tournament.

Charlotte Hornets head coach Charles Lee during the first quarter against the Indiana Pacers at Spectrum Center. / Scott Kinser-Imagn Images

ORLANDO, Fla. – In the first half of back-to-back games, the Orlando Magic's five-game homestand continues on Tuesday night with the Charlotte Hornets. Tipoff is 7 p.m.

Not only is this a divisional matchup between two Southeast foes, but it's also the first group-play game of the NBA Cup. Both teams are featured in East Group A for the second iteration of the league's in-season tournament.

The Magic enter the contest on the heels of consecutive victories, much needed after a tumultuous five-city road trip. Orlando lost all five games as well as All-Star forward Paolo Banchero, who is expected to miss a month and possibly more with a torn right oblique.

But double-digit wins over the New Orleans Pelicans and Washington Wizards improved the Magic's record to 4-0 at home and 5-6 overall.

The Hornets are 4-6. On Sunday, they lost in overtime at Philadelphia.

Meet the Hornets

Key Returners [2024-25 stats]

• LaMelo Ball: 29.4 points, 4.9 rebounds, 6.2 assists, 4.7 turnovers
• Brandon Miller: 17.0 points, 4.3 rebounds, 3.3 assists
• Tre Mann: 14.8 points, 2.9 rebounds, 3.3 assists,
• Miles Bridges: 14.6 points, 6.8 rebounds, 2.5 assists
• Nick Richards: 11.0 points, 10.0 rebounds, 2.4 blocks

Key Additions

• Tidjane Salaun (No. 6 overall draft pick): 3.0 points, 3.8 rebounds, 1.0 assists
• Josh Green (from Dallas): 5.1 points, 1.4 rebounds, 1.1 assists

Key Departures

• None

Notable Numbers

• 20th in net rating (21st offense, 16th defense)
• 6th in rebound % (52.2)
• t-27th in assist/turnover ratio (1.38)
• 30th in FTA rate (.207)
• 24th in opp. FTA rate (.292)
• 27th in fastbreak pts/game (11.9)
• 29th in points in the paint (41.4)
• 28th in pts off turnovers (15.0)
• 29th in %PTS 2PT (42.6)
• 2nd in both %FGA 3PT (50.2) and %PTS 3PT (43.8)

Injury News

• Tre Mann: Questionable (low back soreness)
• Cody Martin: Questionable (illness)
• Miles Bridges: OUT (right knee bone bruise)
• DaQuan Jeffries: OUT (right hand fracture)
• Nick Richards: OUT (right rib fracture)
• Mark Williams: OUT (left foot tendon strain)

For more details and context, click here.

About the Hornets

Charlotte Hornets head coach Charles Lee (left) talks with Charlotte Hornets guard Tre Mann (23) during the first half against the Memphis Grizzlies at FedExForum. / Petre Thomas-Imagn Images

Head coach Charles Lee, a prominent assistant on Boston's bench last season, is incorporating his former team's philosophy of death by a thousand three-point attempts. The Hornets are second in the NBA in three-point tries (45-plus a game) and percentage of points scored from beyond the arc, trailing only the champion Celtics.

It's the Hornets' first year playing in such a system, but they have on-ball creators in LaMelo Ball and Brandon Miller who can challenge any defense.

Preseason odds rated Charlotte outside of the East's top flight, but with injuries staggering some other preseason favorites, the conference appears wide open.

But in ushering in a new era of Hornets basketball behind a new coach and young, promising talent, Charlotte is not the pushover they've been relegated to in the past.

Related Stories on the Orlando Magic

• MAGIC-HORNETS TV INFO: The NBA Cup is back on Tuesday night. Here's how to watch the Magic and Hornets square off in the first group game of the year. CLICK HERE
• MAGIC-HORNETS INJURY REPORT: The latest on player health and status ahead of Tuesday night's NBA Cup group game between the Orlando Magic and Charlotte Hornets. CLICK HERE
• 'STEADY' GOGA PROVIDING IMPACT: Goga Bitadze could've gone anywhere this summer, but he returned to the Orlando Magic. Now he is fulfilling various roles, including the starting center position as of late, and the Magic are reaping the benefits of Bitadze's impact. CLICK HERE
• MAGIC-WIZARDS RECAP: Orlando outscored Washington by 22 points coming out of the halftime break to steamroll their way to a 4-0 home start. CLICK HERE
• WAGNER'S GROWTH INTO NO. 1 OPTION CRITICAL: Without Paolo Banchero in the fold due to injury, the Magic's ability to stay afloat is led by Franz Wagner. His comfort in that role is crucial. CLICK HERE
• MAGIC'S NEEDED HOMESTAND: Orlando has a five-game stretch of opportunities to take advantage of at the Kia Center, where they'll need to rectify their shooting woes and change their fortune. CLICK HERE
• MAGIC'S 2024-25 SCHEDULE: See the complete slate for the Orlando Magic in 2024-25 and all the details – dates, locations, TV, tip times, and more – that you need to know. CLICK HERE

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