LaMelo Ball looked refreshed and reasserted himself back in the starting five, finishing with 16 points, seven assists and six rebounds as the Charlotte Hornets rolled past the Orlando Magic 124–97 on Thursday night.
One night after enduring one of the roughest shooting outings of his young career off the bench, Ball flipped the script. The 2020 No. 3 overall pick went 6-of-12 from the field and knocked down four triples, setting the tone early for a Charlotte team that never looked back.
Charlotte jumped on Orlando from the opening tip, sparked by Ball’s hot start. He scored eight points in the first seven minutes—without a miss—as the Hornets raced out to a 35–20 lead after one quarter. By halftime, Ball already had 11 points in just 15 minutes, and Charlotte carried a commanding 62–41 advantage into the locker room behind 55% shooting from the floor and 11 made threes.
Brandon Miller led a balanced Hornets attack with 20 points, while Collin Sexton provided a big lift off the bench, scoring 12 of his 19 points in the first half. Kon Knueppel and Tidjane Salaün added 13 points each, and Miles Bridges, Moussa Diabate and Ryan Kalkbrenner all chipped in 10.
The Hornets kept their foot on the gas after the break, outscoring Orlando 35–26 in the third quarter and stretching the lead to 30 entering the final period. The win marked Charlotte’s fourth in its last nine games.
Paolo Banchero paced the Magic with 23 points, while Desmond Bane added 21. Moritz Wagner finished with 14 points, Noah Penda had 13, and Jeff Howard chipped in 10. Orlando struggled to find any rhythm offensively, shooting just 33% in the first half and 26% from three before intermission.
Orlando continued to be shorthanded, playing without Jalen Suggs for the eighth straight game due to a right knee injury. Moe Wagner also sat out for left knee management and could return this weekend.
Up next:
The Hornets host the Washington Wizards on Saturday, while the Magic return home to face the Cleveland Cavaliers.
