Hornets Learn Opponent for Friday's Play-In Tournament Game

Survive and advance. That's what the Charlotte Hornets did on Tuesday night in Uptown, taking down the Miami Heat 127-126 in overtime after nearly giving the game away twice. Now, they'll head south to take on a familiar foe as they look to keep their season alive.

Wednesday night, the Philadelphia 76ers beat the Orlando Magic, 109-97, earning the No. 7 seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs. Charlotte will face Orlando on Friday night, a team they've had a bunch of success against this season, winning three of the four matchups.

The Magic have been a streaky team in the back half of the season, rattling off seven straight wins, which led right into a six-game skid. They ended the season winning five of their final six, dropping the regular season finale to Chicago.

The season series (Charlotte vs. Orlando)

Mar 19, 2026; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Orlando Magic forward Paolo Banchero (5) tries to drive to the basket past Charlotte Hornets forward Miles Bridges (0) during the third quarter at Spectrum Center. Mandatory Credit: Brian Westerholt-Imagn Images | Brian Westerholt-Imagn Images

10/30: Orlando 123, Charlotte 107

This was the only matchup that these two played where the Hornets didn't start the five that have turned their season around. This was also when Brandon Miller missed time with his shoulder injury, so Sion James slid into the starting lineup. Oh, and Ryan Kalkbrenner was still starting over Moussa Diabaté for this one.

12/26: Charlotte 120, Orlando 105

Charlotte's defense was stingy in this game, holding the Magic to 40% shooting from the field and 31% from beyond the arc. Paolo Banchero went 4/13 from the floor while Desmond Bane was kept in check from range, going 0/6 on three-ball attempts.

1/22: Charlotte 124, Orlando 97

The Hornets jumped out to a 15-point lead in the first quarter and then built on that in the following two quarters, leading by as many as 33. Once again, the defense was stifling, but it was the work that Charlotte did on the glass (+16) and in the paint (+14) that stood out in this victory.

3/19: Charlotte 130, Orlando 111

Way too much offense for the Magic in this game. Charlotte drilled home 22 triples, connecting on 48% of their long ball attempts. Brandon Miller and Coby White had five each, Kon Knueppel had four, LaMelo Ball had three, Sion James chipped in two, and three others hit one.

The Hornets and Magic are slated to get things tipped off at 7:30 p.m. ET on Friday. The game will be broadcast on Prime Video. You can also tune into Sam Farber's call on Sports Radio WFNZ.

Subscribe to our FREE Newsletter for the latest news and updates on the Charlotte Hornets

Add us as a preferred source on Google