Charlotte Hornets: Preview and things to watch for vs. Orlando Magic

It’s not often that you take on the same team on the day after the first game, but the Charlotte Hornets will have the chance to earn a second-straight victory against the Orlando Magic on Monday night.

The Hornets came out slow in Sunday’s match up, trailing about ten points for most of the game. However, everything changed when Charlotte got into the fourth quarter, where they dominated the Magic.

Since the Hornets have to play the Magic on Monday, the next day, the Hornets must capitalize on Sunday night’s win. Charlotte must come out and play the full game with the energy that they had at the end of Sunday night’s game.

Charlotte Hornets vs Orlando Magic
7:00 p.m. EST, Monday, January 25th, 2021
Amway Center
Fox Sports Southeast

Stream: Fubo.tv

Injury Report:

CHA:

None

ORL:

Al-Farouq Aminu – Knee (Out)

Mo Bamba – Medical Protocol (Questionable)

Michael Carter-Williams – Foot (Out)

Markelle Fultz – Knee (Out)

Aaron Gordon – Back (Questionable)

Jonathan Isaac – ACL Tear (Out)

Things to watch for:

Sunday night’s game was amazing for Gordon Hayward. He finished the game with 39 points and the game-winning shot. If the Magic are going with the same rotation, then Hayward should look to continue his success.

LaMelo Ball should also be watched since he received 28 minutes on Sunday. He had the highest plus/minus score of the game with +15 and was close to a triple-double. Ball’s size is a problem for the Magic, so fans could see him get increased minutes.

If the Hornets backcourt continues to struggle early in the game, fans could see a lot more of Ball. Terry Rozier did not play very well on Sunday, but Devonte’ Graham turned up the jets in the fourth quarter.

Keys to the game:

The Magic are the worst three-point shooting team in the league. Charlotte caught a break in their last game and still came out with a victory, even though the Magic 17 threes and shot 45% from behind the arc. If the Hornets want to come out with a win, they need to continue to defend the three.

With that said, Charlotte needs to look at defending against Nikola Vucevic better too. They allowed him to score 22 points and grab 13 rebounds on Sunday. Limiting his scoring and rebounding will go a long way for Charlotte.

Finally, the Hornets need to continue to pressure the Magic’s offense. Charlotte forced 16 turnovers in their last game, which led to some easy shots in transition. If Orlando continues to have veterans sit out with injuries, then the Hornets need to pressure their rookies and force turnovers.