How Paolo Banchero, Magic blitzed Hornets to advance to face Pistons

That, folks, is what you call complete domination.

The Orlando Magic wiped the floor with the Charlotte Hornets, securing a 121-90 playoff-clinching win inside Kia Center. What were a few of our takeaways?! Let's dive into it below!

A complete 180 from the opening tip:

Magic Hornets — Apr 17, 2026; Orlando, Florida, USA; Orlando Magic center Wendell Carter Jr. (34) defends Charlotte Hornets forward Moussa Diabate (14) during the first quarter during the play-in rounds of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Kia Center. Mandatory Credit: Mike Watters-Imagn Images | Mike Watters-Imagn Images

The Orlando Magic saved their best ... for when it could've been their last game.

Saying they dominated this game would've been an understatement. And it started from the opening tip. The Magic had their most dominant first quarter of the season, making all but eight of their 24 shot attempts (13-16 2PT). Though perhaps the most encouraging sign was Paolo Banchero looking like a completely different version of himself than how he looked in the second half against Philadelphia.

Banchero was aggressive and calculated with all of his drives. The fourth-year wing truly turned into "playoff Paolo," scoring a game-high 25 points, including 16 in the first half on 7-of-10 shooting.

There were plenty of Magic players who bounced back, but when their best player does, the calculus changes.

Magic were relentless defensively:

This was all of us watching the Magic's first half defense.

To quote Indiana football head coach Curt Cignetti: They were fast, physical and relentless all night. They were playing in 8th gear all evening.

The Magic's defense, which regressed to the middle-of-the-pack this year, looked reminiscent of the top-3 unit we saw in each of the previous two seasons. They limited a young, budding Hornets squad to just 33.7 percent shooting. From 3-point range, Charlotte -- who led the NBA in threes made per possession -- went just 12-of-45.

Furthermore, Orlando forced 20 turnovers, scored 26 points off turnovers and rejected eight attempts.

If Charlotte continues this trajectory, this core will be awesome for a long time. But they were no match for the Magic's physicality in their first real postseason test -- a different animal compared to the regular season.

There was zero let up:

At times, the Magic have been prone to taking their foot off the gas and letting teams back into games. They have typically turned complacent.

In this do-or-die play-in game, the Magic knew no such word existed.

As we saw throughout the season, the Hornets were always capable of going on big runs that could swing momentum and tilt the result of a game. That wasn't the case here. LaMelo Ball did his best to provide a spark in the second half, but the Magic's lead did not dip below 23 points.

Reverse jinx worked?:

OK, we didn't all try to reverse jinx this outcome. But we should've known something crazy was going to happen after we all predicted Hornets victories.

Maybe we should do this more often, eh?

Magic advance to playoffs:

Postseason time, babayyyy!! Orlando punched its ticket to the playoffs for the third-straight season and will tip-off Game 1 against the top-seeded Detroit Pistons on Sunday!

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