Liam McNeeley Powers Hornets in Summer League Opening Win Over Magic

In a quasi-rematch of their play-in game debacle this past spring, the Charlotte Hornets avenged their loss to the Orlando Magic, beating them in their Summer League opener Thursday, 86-74.

After hitting an early dry spell, the Hornets came on strong in the second half. Buzz City was particularly potent in the fourth quarter, beginning the period on a 12-2 run. This stretch came after they outscored Orlando 25-15 in the third. Charlotte as a team held Orlando to under 40% shooting from the field.

Head coach Blaine Mueller credited his team for settling down after seven first quarter turnovers, as well as adjusting to Orlando’s physical style of play.

“I mean, a little nerves early on and they're a team (Orlando) that's got a little bit older guys, if you will, for summer league,” he explained. “So just kind of getting our feet settled into the game and responding to that physicality.”

Forward Liam McNeeley paced the Hornets, hitting on his first two threes before finishing with 28 points on seven of eight shooting from the outside. He ended up shooting 9-18 from the field. McNeely, who is hoping for a full-time spot with the Hornets, is entering his second season in the NBA. Last year, he split time between Charlotte and its G League affiliate in Greensboro.

“I mean, it felt good,” McNeeley said after the game. “I would say I got open a lot from the bigs. They were setting really good screens. We put in plays like two or three days ago, and we ran them really well.”

Despite coming up with the win, it’s clear Charlotte has plenty to work on during their Las Vegas stay. 2nd-year guard Sion James split duties bringing up the ball with 2026 18th overall pick Christian Anderson. The results were mixed. James, who scored six points, struggled handling Orlando’s defensive pressure, finishing with four turnovers. Anderson, meanwhile, fared better, at least in ball control, finishing with only one turnover. However, it was shooting that was the issue, as he finished just 2-11 from the field for six points.

The Hornets as a team had 17 turnovers.

“Our guys needed to feel it and see it and go through that, fight through it,” Mueller said. But for Christian, once he settled in, I saw Christian kind of get into the paint, get to his mid-range, pull up, and see some shot goes in. He was playing under control and with confidence from that.

Charlotte’s other rookie center, Hannes Steinbach, meanwhile, fared much better in his summer league debut, scoring 15 points on 4 of 7 in 22 minutes of action. His big highlight came on an and-one in the fourth quarter that gave Charlotte a nine-point lead. Steinbach also impressed on the glass, finishing with 11 rebounds.

“He was a monster on both ends and even some more that he might not have grabbed, but got his hands on and tipped to other people,” said Mueller. “And then he's just so poised and so skilled in the paint.”

The Hornets had three players finish in double figures, with 2nd-year center Ryan Kalkbrenner adding 10 points on 5-7 shooting. He also had nine rebounds. Charlotte as a team hammered Orlando on the glass, out-rebounding them 54-36.

The Hornets, the NBA defending summer league champs, play next on Saturday at 1 pm against New Orleans. The Pelicans dropped their summer league opener Thursday, falling 105-92 against Minnesota. The contest will take place at the Thomas and Mack Center. It will be Charlotte’s debut in the big game as Thursday’s game was played in the smaller Pavilion.

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