Brandon Miller Discusses Hornets' Play-In game vs. Orlando, Expectations, and More

The Hornets will advance to a first round Eastern Conference Playoff Series with Detroit if they defeat Orlando Friday night

Apr 14, 2026; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Charlotte Hornets forward Brandon Miller (24) and fans react to the overtime win during the play-in rounds between the Charlotte Hornets and the Miami Heat of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Spectrum Center. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images | Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

Win, and you’re in. The Charlotte Hornets are set to face the Orlando Magic in a Friday night showdown in Florida. 

Hornets guard Brandon Miller spoke to the media ahead of the game about the match-up and more.

Miller on playing a Play-In game on the road versus at home: "I don’t know about excited, but I’m excited for the game. It’s part of the game. It’ll be my first time playing a postseason game in another state, so it’s meaningful. Just focusing on what we can control and we’ll be fine."

Miller on how relieved he is that the league decided not to suspend LaMelo and that he’ll be available Friday night: "That’s good for us. LaMelo is our head of the snake. Just having a guy like that on the floor shows a lot. Teams throw a lot of things at him, so as a teammate, all I have to do is help him and make his job easier.

On Coby White’s impact since joining the team: "He’s just been a veteran guard. He knows what his assignment is every night and shows up with the same mindset, same attitude. That causes players to want to learn from him. He’ll make every winning play, whether it’s threes, defensive plays, or whatever the case might be. Having veteran guards like that with a lot of young players makes it a lot easier for the younger guys to learn."

On his first postseason game living up to expectations in terms of atmosphere, crowd, and intensity: "That was probably a lot similar to playoff games I’ve been in before, the atmosphere, the crowd. I’ve been encouraging Charlotte fans all year to keep showing up for us."

On the one-and-done format: "Just sticking with daily consistency. We control what we can control."

On Miles Bridges' impact: "He takes on the best players every night. A big emphasis this year has been his post-ups on mismatches. A lot of teams have smaller guards, and we can go to him just to see a bucket go in because we’re confident in that post-up shot. That opens up the game for everybody else, especially since teams don’t want to help off shooters like LaMelo or Coby."

On the mindset going into a win-or-go-home game on the road, what’s the focus: "Just staying together. Being with each other, playing for each other, and we’ll be good."

On his mid-range shot: "I work on it every day. My teammates trust me to take those shots. It’s about being aggressive and taking what the defense gives me. I can kick it out to shooters or make another play. Mixing it up has been working for us."