Magic Cruise Past Hornets, 101-89
Charlotte, N.C. - After managing to string together some wins after the trade deadline, the Hornets are seemingly back to their routine form. Thanks in part to a 22 point, 5 rebound, and 3 assist performance from sophomore Paulo Banchero, Charlotte has extended its most recent losing streak to five games now.
After a relatively competitive first half, the Hornets started the third quarter with a measly two point deficit. A sudden flurry from Charlotte, capped off by a Brandon Miller three, gave the Hornets a 53-50 lead with 8:52 remaining. Shortly there after, Orlando took over and didn't look back.
After a Jalen Suggs' dunk gave the Magic a 58-56 lead, the Hornets trailed for the rest of the contest. Orlando's bench outscored Charlotte's 46-23, and their 54.1% FG percentage did the rest.
Best of the Night: Tre Mann
Coming into tonight, Tre Mann was expected to have a tough night. With Cole Anthony and Jalen Suggs on the perimeter, sportsbooks were giving him a projected scoring total of 11.5 points.
Mann was surprisingly efficient while weaving his way through traffic tonight, with the majority of his 18 points coming from inside the arc. It was also nice to see encouraging to see him put up some respectable hustle stats as he finished with six rebounds and two steals.
Worst of the Night: Miles Bridges
Miles Bridges has steadily returned to earth his since back-to-back 40+ point performances just two weeks ago, but tonight was a new low. His 7 points scored is his lowest of the season and his -8 PM is his fifth negative performance in a row.
He finished 1/6 from 3 and shot 3/16 overall. From a shooting and efficiency standpoint, this was one of his worst games of the season.
Highlight of the Night:
Up Next: Hornets at Wizards, Friday at 8pm EST.
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