Charlotte Hornets battle the Orlando Magic in the season finale

Riding a four-game winning streak, the Charlotte Hornets hope to keep their postseason dreams alive with a win over the Orlando Magic.

They’re still in it. Hard to believe, I know, but the Charlotte Hornets (39-42) are still fighting for their playoff lives as the sun sets on the 2018-2019 season. Winning isn’t the only thing they need for a postseason birth to happen, though, as they need the Detroit Pistons to lose as well. If that happens and the Hornets win, they will earn the 8th playoff spot due to a tiebreaker over Detroit.

So, it’s certainly an exciting, yet uneasy, time for Hornets fans and with one final game left, the team will need their support. That game is against their Southeast division rival, the Orlando Magic (41-40). These two teams have played three times already, with Charlotte winning twice. The Magic won the last game in Orlando, snapping a 13 game winning streak the Hornets had over the Magic.

Charlotte’s last game was a one-sided 124-97 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers. They are in the 9th spot in the Eastern Conference. Orlando’s last game was a 116-108 victory over the Boston Celtics. They are 7th in the East. This is the final game in which these two teams will meet.

Charlotte Hornets vs Orlando Magic
8:00 p.m. EST, Wednesday, April 10th, 2019
Spectrum Center
Fox Sports Southeast and ESPN

Stream: Fubo.tv

Injury Report:

CHA:

Cody Zeller – Knee (Questionable)

Marvin Williams – Foot (Game-Time Decision)

ORL:

Markelle Fultz – Shoulder (Out)

Timofey Mozgov – Knee (Out)

Jonathon Isaac – Concussion (Out)

Mo Bamba – Lower Leg (Out)

Things to watch for:

It’ll be interesting to see if Orlando rests their players or not. If they lose and Detroit wins, they’ll be tied in the standings, but Detroit would get the 7th seed due to a tiebreaker, so I’m sure Orlando doesn’t want to lose this one. If the Pistons win, that will also end Charlotte’s season. Needless to say, there’s a lot on the line on Wednesday.

This may be the last time you see some of these players in a Hornets uniform, and that, unfortunately, may also include Kemba Walker. The All-Star’s future is currently up in the air, but fans are definitely hoping he’ll be wearing purple and teal again next season. Let’s hope GM Mitch Kupchak can get it done.

Keys to the game:

The Magic attempt the fewest free-throws in the NBA. They also make the fewest, of course. Don’t let that stat fool you, however, as Orlando is pretty efficient at the charity stripe, making 78% of their shots at the line, good enough for 12th in the NBA. Charlotte isn’t prone to fouling teams, though, but it would still be wise not to get careless on defense.

Orlando is also good at taking care of the ball, ranking 5th in the league in turnovers committed. Charlotte is three spots ahead of them at 2nd, but if the Hornets can play tenacious defense and get Orlando out of their game, points off turnovers could play a factor.

Well, this is it. Everything has come down to this. If they win and get a little help, they’ll be in the playoffs for the first time since the 2015-2016 season. Either way, it should shape up to be a good one in the Spectrum Center. Go Hornets!