Charlotte Hornets Outlast the Orlando Magic, 109-102, Sweep Season Series

Five players scored in double figures as a team effort led the Charlotte Hornets past the Orlando Magic to secure their third consecutive victory.

The Charlotte Hornets (32-39) were able to defeat the Orlando Magic (26-46) as they swept the season series for the first time in the team’s history. Charlotte came alive late as they had a strong finish to the game. Kemba Walker and company have now won three straight and their hopes of making the playoffs remain alive with only a few games left in the season.

Ramon Sessions (knee surgery), Miles Plumlee (calf strain) and Johnny O’Bryant (ankle sprain) remained out for the Hornets as they’ve all missed an extended period of time. Nicolas Batum tweaked his ankle during the first half of this one but he gave it a go in the second half and it didn’t seem to bother him too much.

Game Story and Turning Point

Charlotte struggled out of the gate as they played from behind for the better part of three-quarters. Luckily for the visiting team, Marco Belinelli had one of the best quarter of his career as he scored 16 points in the second quarter alone to keep the Hornets in the game. It was a close battle throughout but the fourth quarter was the deciding period. Frank Kaminsky came up big during winning time as he scored 13 points in the fourth. Charlotte was able to outscore Orlando 32-20 in the final period to not only take control late but to also steal the victory on the road.

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Who Stepped Up

Despite a slow start, Kemba Walker led the Hornets in this one as he finished with a game-high 22 points to go along with seven assists. Marco Belinelli and Frank Kaminsky were right behind them as they came off of the bench and led a strong showing from the second unit. The Italian scored 20 points while the second-year big man added 18 points.

Cody Zeller chipped in with 15 points and six rebounds in 29 minutes. Nic Batum only scored 10 points on the night but he did add six assists to help make up for his five turnovers. Marvin Williams didn’t reach double-digits in scoring but he did manage to pull down a team-high 10 boards.

The Magic were led by Terrence Ross who scored 19 points while Elfrid Payton and Evan Fournier each contributed 15 points. Nikola Vucevic almost came away with a triple-double as he had 14 points, 12 rebounds and eight assists. Jodie Meeks was the only other double-figure scorer with 10 points off of the bench. Charlotte did a good job of holding Aaron Gordon to only seven points in this one.

Play of the Game:

Tweet of the Game:

"Quick Stings"

• Marco recorded only his second 20+ point scoring game of the season.
• MKG pulled down the 500th offensive rebound of his career in the game.
• Cody scored in double figures for the 29th time this year, marking a career-high for a single season.
• MKG also recorded his 200th career steal in this one.
• Charlotte outscored Orlando 50-34 in points in the paint.

With the win, the Hornets completed their four-game sweep of the Magic. It’s the first time in Charlotte’s history that they’ve swept the season series from Orlando. Nice little milestone for the team.

Next: Rumor: Sessions Could Return by the End of March

In their next outing, the Charlotte Hornets will return home to take on the Cleveland Cavaliers. Steve Clifford’s side has struggled against the defending champions as they are 0-3 on the season. Maybe the Cavs will do that thing where they rest all of their star players.