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Charlotte Hornets: 3 takeaways from win at Orlando Magic

By Dylan Jackson

NEW YORK, NY - OCTOBER 24: Cody Martin #11 of the Charlotte Hornets in action against the Brooklyn Nets during a game at Barclays Center on October 24, 2021 in New York City. "nNOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Rich Schultz/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY - OCTOBER 24: Cody Martin #11 of the Charlotte Hornets in action against the Brooklyn Nets during a game at Barclays Center on October 24, 2021 in New York City. "nNOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Rich Schultz/Getty Images) /
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The Charlotte Hornets came away with a win against the Orlando Magic on Wednesday night, besting them by a score of 120-111. Miles Bridges was far and away the best player for the Hornets, scoring 31 points on 21 shots.

Looking forward, Charlotte will have two major tests coming up in the Miami Heat and Portland Trail Blazers as their two closest games.

On Wednesday, though, head coach James Borrego experimented more in the loss of PJ Washington – who may be out for another week or two.

Takeaway #1 – Miles Bridges might not just be LaMelo Ball’s co-star, he may be the team’s franchise player.

There has been no one better than Miles Bridges so far this season, and his play has very clearly elevated the Charlotte Hornets. In two consecutive games, he has been the best player for the team – especially when they needed him most.

That isn’t to say that LaMelo Ball isn’t good – he’s been incredible to start this year. But Miles Bridges has been on another level. We’ll see whether he is able to sustain his play, but so far things are looking really positive.

Takeaway #2 – The Hornets still are not great defensively.

The Charlotte Hornets have, for the most part, struggled to defend the opposing team’s best perimeter player this season. Jayson Tatum gave Charlotte 41 on Monday, and Cole Anthony, Franz Wagner, and Terrence Ross each scored over 15 points on Wednesday.

Going up against the Miami Heat on Friday, the Hornets will face off against Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo, and Kyle Lowry – it’ll be their third big test of the year. Whether they’ll be able to contain those guys will be followed closely.

Takeaway #3 – The Hornets are capable of winning, even without LaMelo Ball.

Yeah, LaMelo Ball put up something of a stinker on Wednesday against the Orlando Magic. He scored a total of seven points on 14 shots, tallying just as many turnovers as he did assists. He’s a second-year player, and it happens sometimes.

With that said, though, Ball won’t have many games like that – and the fact that the Hornets won still despite that performance from their primary ball-handler/creator speaks volumes about how great the team has become.

The Charlotte Hornets’ next game is against the Miami Heat on Friday night. It will be broadcasted on ESPN.

Next. Hornets: 3 trade targets to make team a contender. dark

Here is the winner of the ‘guess the top point-getter’ competition on our Twitter account:

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