The Charlotte Hornets have dominated the Orlando Magic over the past few years. Can they keep it going Thursday night in Orlando?
There are no guarantees in sports, but the Charlotte Hornets (27-29) have to be feeling pretty good going into their next match-up.
They’ve defeated their next opponent, the Orlando Magic (26-32), 13 straight times, starting back over three years ago, on January 22nd, 2016. One could think that means that this next game will be a cakewalk, but with Orlando winning its last four, this could be the perfect setup for a loss.
Still, they have to play the game, of course, and that will take place in Orlando. The last time these two teams played was on December 31st, with the Hornets winning 125-100. The game was close up until the middle of the third quarter, where the Hornets began pulling away.
Charlotte’s last game was a 90-99 loss to the Indiana Pacers. They are barely holding on to the 7th spot in the Eastern Conference. Orlando’s last outing was a 118-88 win over the New Orleans Pelicans.
The Magic are the 10th seed in the East. This is the third of four games in which these two teams will meet.
Charlotte Hornets at Orlando Magic
7:00 p.m. EST, Thursday, February 14th, 2019
Amway Center
Fox Sports Southeast
Injury Report:
CHA:
Tony Parker – Back (Doubtful)
ORL:
Markelle Fultz – Shoulder (Out)
Mohamed Bamba – Lower Leg (Out)
Timofey Mozgov – Knee (Out)
Things to watch for:
The Hornets really need this one. If they lose, they are in danger of falling behind the Detroit Pistons in the Eastern Conference playoff race. This has all the makings of a “trap game” and if that happens, it could be very costly for them when April rolls around.
It will be interesting to see if Tony Parker can play. If not, that means increased minutes for newly acquired guard Shelvin Mack, as well as rookie Devonte’ Graham, who missed last game with an illness.
Keys to the game:
Charlotte’s last game felt like an odd one, namely because they just could not buy anything behind the arc, making only 17% of their 40 attempted threes.
One has to think they can’t repeat that abysmal performance, but Hornets fans have seen it all. Running efficient screens on the perimeter to set-up open shooters and making the extra pass on offense will be a must.
I’ve been harping on about the team’s defensive struggles lately, but this one could be just what Charlotte needs, as Orlando is only 24th in the NBA in field goal percentage. If they can keep the Magic to the 45% they currently shoot, then they have a nice shot at winning this one. That’s a big if, though, with how they’ve been playing lately.
Charlotte really needs to get it going in the win column. Their next game is a very winnable one, but they’ll have to not look past their opponent. We’ll see if they can leave Orlando with a win Thursday night.