Magic at Hornets
Teams scuffling at the bottom of the Southeast Division standings square off Saturday when the Charlotte Hornets host the Orlando Magic. The Hornets, looking to bounce back from a 98-75 loss at Oklahoma City on Friday, aim for their third straight win at home, where they are a respectable 7-9. Orlando has dropped three straight on the road and has dropped seven of its last nine overall.
The Magic went toe to toe with Cleveland for three quarters Friday before seeing the Cavaliers rally for a 98-89 victory by outscoring Orlando 27-14 in the final stanza. "This happens in almost every single game we play at home," Orlando forward Tobias Harris told reporters. "In the last five minutes, we just totally get away from what we've been doing the whole game." The Hornets experienced something similar in the first meeting with the Magic this season, blowing a 23-point third-quarter lead as Orlando surged to a 105-100 win in Charlotte on Nov. 21.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, FSN Florida (Orlando), SportSouth (Charlotte)
ABOUT THE MAGIC (11-21): Orlando shot well against the Cavaliers — hitting 49.3 percent overall and 9-of-21 from 3-point range — but failed to top 90 points for the fifth time in nine games. The primary reason was the Magic's inability to get to the foul line, and they need to be more aggressive in getting the ball into the paint. Orlando's top two scorers, Harris (18.5 points, 7.1 rebounds) and Nikola Vucevic (18 points, 11.6 rebounds), did not attempt a single free throw against Cleveland.
ABOUT THE HORNETS (10-20): Charlotte had topped 100 points in a season-high five straight games before being held to 28.7 percent shooting and 5-for-24 from 3-point range against the Thunder. No Hornets starter scored in double figures Friday and their top two scorers — Al Jefferson (18.6 points, 8.2 rebounds) and Kemba Walker (16.5 points, 5.6 assists) — combined for 10 points on 4-of-20 shooting. The offensive struggles overshadowed what was a decent defensive performance, as the Hornets held the opposition under 41 percent shooting for the third time in four games.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Charlotte SG Lance Stephenson, who is rumored to be on the trading block, has missed five straight games with a pelvic strain.
2. The Magic are 4-3 in the second game of back-to-backs while Charlotte is 3-5 in those contests.
3. The Hornets are 1-16 when they are outrebounded while Orlando is 5-16 when losing the battle on the boards.