Hornets vs. Magic Recap: The good, the bad and the LaMelo Ball (Jan. 24)
The Hornets broke their four-game losing streak in style on Sunday, overcoming a 12-point fourth-quarter deficit to down Orlando 107-104.
Yet another big scoring night from Gordon Hayward was capped off by his game-winning layup with 0.7 seconds left. Hayward tallied 39 points on the night and Charlotte needed every last one of them.
The Hornets led only briefly in the first quarter before trailing for the entireties of the second and third periods. The lead peaked at 14 points multiple times in the third period as the game teetered on the edge of turning into a Magic blowout.
However, the Hornets outscored the hosts 24-4 to open the fourth, took the lead on a Devonte’ Graham 3-pointer and never relinquished that advantage. A Terrence Ross 3-pointer with 8.7 seconds left tied the game but Hayward responded by blowing past Evan Fournier for a layup to win it.
Following Hayward for Charlotte in scoring was Miles Bridges with 18, Devonte’ Graham with 15 and LaMelo Ball with 11.
The Good: That fourth quarter run
Originally, this section was dedicated to the second half as a whole but that fourth-quarter run deserves its own recognition. After entering the period down 12, Charlotte outscored the hosts 24-4 over the first eight minutes of the period to open up a 99-90 lead. Seemingly every Hornet had a role in that run, whether it was Devonte' Graham and Hayward's scoring, Bismack Biyombo's defense on Nikola Vucevic or Ball and Bridges' continued energy through the period. It turned what looked like a game that could be a blowout in favor of Orlando into a Charlotte win.
The Bad: The first half
A recurring trend is Charlotte's slow starts and it happened once again on Sunday. Hayward's big first half kept the Hornets in the game, as did a strong second quarter from Ball and Bridges. Ultimately, they kept the margin just close enough to make a fourth-quarter comeback but it was another hole they had to dig out of.
The LaMelo Ball: An energetic night
Ball was benched and criticized by head coach James Borrego on Friday and rightfully so. He responded on Sunday with a much, much better performance. On a night where Graham and Terry Rozier struggled early, Ball played a particularly big role. In 28 minutes, Ball finished with 11 points, eight assists, five rebounds and one steal. While he didn't close the game, that came largely as a result of Ball playing roughly 12 straight minutes between the middle of the third quarter through the fourth.
