Charlotte Hornets Hot Shooting Shocks Orlando Magic in Bad Loss

The Orlando Magic couldn't contain the Charlotte Hornets on Friday night.

Jeremy Brener | Apr 5, 2024

Apr 5, 2024; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Charlotte Hornets center Marques Bolden (3) makes a / Jim Dedmon-USA TODAY Sports

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ORLANDO - The Orlando Magic is coming home disappointed after losing 124-115 to the Charlotte Hornets on Friday night at the Spectrum Center.

With the Magic in a tight playoff race, a loss to a lottery-bound Hornets team couldn't have come at a worse time. Simply put, the Hornets were way too hot shooting the ball and the Magic had no answer.

Apr 5, 2024; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Orlando Magic forward Paolo Banchero (5) stops and / Jim Dedmon-USA TODAY Sports

As a team, the Hornets shot just under 60 percent from the field and made 15 of 30 3-point attempts. For comparison, the Magic made just 44.7 percent of its shots and eight 3-pointers.

Paolo Banchero led the way for the Magic with 32 points, eight rebounds and eight assists. Franz Wagner added 22 of his own. For the Hornets, No. 2 overall pick Brandon Miller was a perfect 10 of 10 from the field at halftime with five 3-pointers for 26 points. He ended the night with a game-high 32.

The Magic lost an opportunity to move up in the Eastern Conference standings, but if other teams around Orlando struggle, it may be a net zero. However, with just a week left in the season, every game matters and this is one that got away from the Magic.

Orlando is back in action on Sunday when the Chicago Bulls come to town. Tipoff is scheduled for 6 p.m. ET.

Published Apr 5, 2024

JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.