The Charlotte Hornets struggled to score in an ugly loss to the Orlando Magic, 102-86.
The summary
Charles Lee drew up a play for the new guy, and Jusuf Nurkic paid it off with a short shot in the lane to open the scoring. The teams exchanged buckets and bricks for a while. Damion Baugh, who just signed earlier in the day, got some burn and hit a corner three for his first NBA points. Other than that, the Hornets really struggled to find easy looks. They didn’t score for the last few minutes of the quarter as the Magic pulled out to an eight point lead.
The Hornets’ offensive struggles continued into the second quarter. They trailed by double digits for a spell, but a lineup of more experienced players helped claw back into the game. The Hornets baited the Magic into launching threes, and the home team happily obliged with little success. A fireworks show broke out in the final seconds of the half. Nick Smith Jr. and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope got into a verbal spat, resulting in a double technical. KCP drew out his end of the jawing, received a second technical, and was tossed from the game with just two seconds left in the half. After a Magic heave, Nick Smith Jr. tossed the ball at someone, received his second technical, and was also ejected from the game.
The Hornets held their modest lead for a lot of the third quarter, but much like in the first, the offense got very cold when subs started entering the game. The Magic finally found a way to capitalize on the Hornets paint packing defense. Paolo Banchero started to find his groove, pouring in 12 in the quarter. His play seemed to instill confidence in the other Magicians, and they took a 12 point lead into the fourth.
The Magic stayed hot from deep to start the fourth and quickly built up a 20 point lead that would be insurmountable for most teams, but especially so for this version of the Hornets. That gave plenty of time for some of the lesser used players to get some burn and accumulate some stats, but none of it really mattered.
The Good
Jusuf Nurkic played only 16 minutes as he gets eased back into NBA action, but he looked pretty sharp. He had nine points and eight rebounds, and the Hornets won his minutes on the floor. He seamlessly fit in and provided a nice physical presence on the defensive glass where the Hornets otherwise struggled.
The other Hornets to make his debut, Damion Baugh, had a really good showing. In his first NBA game, he scored 16 efficient points to go along with four rebounds and three assists. He didn’t look like the G League player in his first NBA action. He was confident and assertive. No notes for the rookie.
Taj Gibson secured his first double double since March 19, 2019 when he was with the Timberwolves. He looked like he was going to throw up from exhaustion after scoring his 10th point in the game’s waning moments. He’ll get to savor that for the next week.
Josh Green scored an efficient 16 points and had a really cool dunk on a fast break.
The Bad
It was always going to be a tough match-up for Miles Bridges, and he struggled with it. The Magic packed the paint and clogged up his driving lanes and forced him into a lot of desperation runners and awkward shots in traffic. He needs better shooting around him to function against a team that defends like the Magic.
Nick Smith Jr. is in the midst of an opportunity to prove himself as an NBA player. You shouldn’t be getting yourself ejected in times like this. The Hornets really good have used the threat of his outside shooting.
DaQuan Jeffries had his second goose egg in the last three games.
Tidjane Salaün left the game in the second half with a finger injury and did not return. Hopefully it’s nothing serious and he’ll be back after the all star break.
What’s Next
The all star break is upon us. All of the Hornets will get some time away to get rested and refreshed for the stretch run. The season will resume next Thursday in Los Angeles against Luka Doncic and the Lakers.
