NBA Standings: Where's Orlando Magic After Loss vs. Charlotte Hornets?

The Orlando Magic fumbled a major opportunity by losing to the Charlotte Hornets.

Jeremy Brener | Apr 6, 2024

Apr 5, 2024; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Charlotte Hornets guard Vasilije Micic (22) goes up for / Jim Dedmon-USA TODAY Sports

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Orlando Magic

ORLANDO - The Orlando Magic is wishing it had Friday night's loss against the Charlotte Hornets back since it would have given the team a huge boost in the Eastern Conference playoff picture.

A win would have given the Magic the No. 3 seed going into Saturday's games, but a loss puts Orlando one game behind the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Apr 5, 2024; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Charlotte Hornets forward Davis Bertans (9) handles the / Jim Dedmon-USA TODAY Sports

The Magic also got extremely lucky, because the Milwaukee Bucks and New York Knicks also lost on Saturday night to teams outside of the top eight in the East. The Bucks lost to the Toronto Raptors at home in a shocking upset. The Raptors had lost 15 consecutive games going into Friday night's contest. Meanwhile, the Knicks fell to the Chicago Bulls at the United Center, which prevented them from overtaking the Magic for the No. 4 seed.

Going into Saturday, the Bucks remain in second place, but only one game separates them from the Cavaliers, who play against the Los Angeles Lakers in a critical game for both conferences on Saturday afternoon. The Magic and Knicks remain tied for the No. 4 seed, but Orlando has the tiebreaker after winning the season series.

With five games to go, the Magic needs to win as many as possible. The two games against the Bucks are the most critical since it gives Orlando control of its own destiny. Five straight wins to end the season will get the Magic no worse than the No. 3 seed. If the Cavs lose one game in that stretch, the Magic could climb to the No. 2 spot.

The Magic returns to the court for a big game on Sunday against the Bulls at the Kia Center. Tipoff is scheduled for 6 p.m. ET.

Published Apr 6, 2024

JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.