Charlotte Hornets at Orlando Magic
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Ball back in starting lineup, helps spark fast start as the Hornets beat Magic 124-97
Ball, who a night earlier had one of the worst shooting performances of his career when he came off the bench as part of a plan to manage his minutes, went 6 for 12 from the field and 4 for 8 from 3-point distance against Orlando. In a loss to Cleveland on Wednesday, the No. 3 pick in the 2020 draft finished with two points on 1-of-15 shooting, including 0 of 10 from 3-point range.
Brandon Miller scored 20 points to lead Charlotte's balanced effort. Collin Sexton came off the bench and scored 12 of his 19 points in the first half, Kon Knueppel and Tidjane Salaunadded added 13 apiece, and Miles Bridges, Moussa Diabate and Ryan Kalkbrenner each scored 10.
Paolo Banchero scored 23 points, and Desmond Bane added 21 for the Magic. Moritz Wagner scored 14, Noah Penda added 13 and Jeff Howard 10.
Back in the starting lineup, Ball played a role in the fast start for the Hornets that was missing against Cleveland a night earlier when they trailed by 21 points in the first quarter. Ball scored eight points in seven minutes on 3-for-3 shooting, including 2 for 2 from distance, as Charlotte led 35-20 after a period.
Ball had 11 points in 15 minutes in the first half as Charlotte built a 62-41 lead by the break with 55% (22 for 41) shooting from the floor, and 48% (11 for 23) from beyond the arc. The Hornets outscored Orlando 35-26 in the third and extended their lead to 30 points with a period remaining on the way to their fourth victory in nine games.
The Magic struggled throughout, shooting 33% (13 for 40), including 5 for 19 (26%) from distance in the first half.
Orlando was without guard Jalen Suggs, who missed his eighth straight game due to a right knee injury. Center Moe Wagner was also sidelined due to left knee management and could return to the lineup this weekend.
Magic: Host the Cleveland Cavaliers on Saturday.
Regular Season Series
CHA leads series 2-1
Recent Plays
| 4th 0.0 |  |
End of Game | 124 - 97 |
| 4th 0.0 | |
End of the 4th Quarter | 124 - 97 |
| 4th 21.0 |  |
Jett Howard makes 23-foot three point step back jumpshot | 124 - 97 |
| 4th 26.6 |  |
Sion James makes free throw 2 of 2 | 124 - 94 |
| 4th 26.6 | |
Sion James makes free throw 1 of 2 | 123 - 94 |
Statistics
 CHA |
 ORL |
|
|---|---|---|
| 43-79 | FG | 33-79 |
| 54 | Field Goal % | 42 |
| 17-36 | 3PT | 14-37 |
| 47 | Three Point % | 38 |
| 21-25 | FT | 17-22 |
| 84 | Free Throw % | 77 |
| 47 | Rebounds | 31 |
| 10 | Offensive Rebounds | 6 |
| 37 | Defensive Rebounds | 25 |
| 26 | Assists | 25 |
| 7 | Steals | 7 |
| 4 | Blocks | 4 |
| 14 | Turnovers | 12 |
| 1 | Team Turnovers | 0 |
| 15 | Total Turnovers | 12 |
| 0 | Technical Fouls | 0 |
| 0 | Total Technical Fouls | 0 |
| 0 | Flagrant Fouls | 0 |
| 16 | Points Conceded Off Turnovers | 14 |
| 16 | Fast Break Points | 13 |
| 50 | Points in Paint | 36 |
| 18 | Fouls | 23 |
| 33 | Largest Lead | 3 |
| 1 | Lead Change | 1 |
| 97 | Percent Led | 1 |
Orlando Magic Injuries
| NAME, POS | STATUS | DATE |
|---|---|---|
| Franz Wagner, F | Day-To-Day | Jan 22 |
| Jalen Suggs, G | Out | Jan 22 |
| Colin Castleton, C | Out | Nov 24 |
Charlotte Hornets Injuries
| NAME, POS | STATUS | DATE |
|---|---|---|
| Grant Williams, F | Out | Jan 22 |
| KJ Simpson, G | Out | Jan 22 |
| Tre Mann, G | Out | Jan 22 |
| Mason Plumlee, C | Out | Dec 31 |
Game Information
Location: Orlando, FL
Attendance: 19,423 · Capacity:
2025-26 Southeast Standings
| TEAM | W | L | PCT | GB | STRK |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Orlando |
23 | 20 | .535 | - | L2 |
 Miami |
23 | 22 | .511 | 1 | L1 |
 Atlanta |
21 | 25 | .457 | 3.5 | W1 |
 Charlotte |
17 | 28 | .378 | 7 | W1 |
 Washington |
10 | 33 | .233 | 13 | L8 |
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