By Sam Perley, hornets.com
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Result
Closing games has been a problem all season long for the Charlotte Hornets but there weren’t any issues in their season-series finale against the Magic as they pulled away for a 109-102 win on Wednesday, March 22 in Orlando. Despite trailing by five points heading into the fourth, the Hornets came alive in the closing frame and outscored the Magic, 32-20, in the final 12 minutes for their third-straight overall victory. Charlotte has now won seven-consecutive meetings with Orlando and recorded its first four-game season-series sweep of the Magic in franchise history.
Turning Point
Trailing 91-90 midway through the fourth quarter, the Hornets rolled off 16-6 run to open up a nine-point lead over the Magic with just 1:36 remaining in the game. Orlando responded with five quick unanswered points to cut the deficit back to four, but Kemba Walker knocked down 3-of-4 attempts from the free-throw line down the stretch to seal the victory. Overall in the fourth quarter, the Hornets connected on 11-of-20 field-goal attempts (55.0 percent) and turned the ball over just one time while also holding Orlando to 7-of-22 shooting (31.8 percent).
Hornets Player of the Game
Frank Kaminsky finished with 18 points, 13 of which came in the fourth quarter on 4-of-4 shooting, and five rebounds in 33 minutes off the bench in the victory. The former Wisconsin Badger also tallied his fourth-career game with four-or-more made three-pointers, all of which have come since Jan. 10, 2017.
Magic Player of the Game
Nikola Vucevic came up just shy of his first-career triple-double, tallying 14 points, a game-high 12 rebounds and a career-high eight assists in the loss. The sixth-year NBA veteran from Montenegro has now tallied a double-double in three-straight games, which is tied for his second-longest streak of the season.
Game Notes
Kemba Walker recorded a game-high 22 points and a team-high seven assists… Marco Belinelli tacked on 20 points, 16 of which came in the second quarter… Cody Zeller (15 points) and Nicolas Batum (10 points) also scored in double figures for the Hornets… Marvin Williams chipped in seven points and a team-high 10 rebounds… Both teams finished with exactly 43 rebounds… Orlando had 14 total turnovers leading to 19 Charlotte points while the Hornets had just 10 giveaways leading to eight points for the Magic… Charlotte’s bench outscored the Magic reserves, 46-32…The Hornets are now 12-36 overall this season and 6-21 on the road when giving up 100-or-more points.
Quote of the Night
“We just started playing with energy in the fourth quarter. That’s what it came down to. We made the plays we needed to make. We were going back and forth for awhile, but one team is going to emerge at the end of the game and it was just us tonight.” - Frank Kaminsky
Quote of the Night
“We just started playing with energy in the fourth quarter. That’s what it came down to. We made the plays we needed to make. We were going back and forth for awhile, but one team is going to emerge at the end of the game and it was just us tonight.” - Frank Kaminsky
Next Up
The Hornets will be back home to take on the Cleveland Cavaliers starting at 7 p.m. on Friday, March 24 in Charlotte. The game can be seen on FOX Sports Southeast or heard on WFNZ or on the official Charlotte Hornets mobile app.
next up
Friday, Mar 24 - 7:00 pmSpectrum Center, Charlotte, NC
Fox Sports Southeast - Charlotte Hornets App & WFNZ 610 AM