Preview/Game Details: Charlotte Hornets host upstart Magic – At The Hive

What: Charlotte Hornets (15-46) (8-22 home) vs Orlando Magic (35-26) (14-18 away)

When: 7:00pm Eastern

Where: Spectrum Center; Charlotte, NC

How to watch: Bally Sports Southeast, NBA League Pass

Outfitting: Hornets–Statement (purple), Magic–Association (white)

Game Lines: Hornets +8.5, O/U 208.5

Injuries:
Hornets: LaMelo Ball-out (ankle), Cody Martin-out (ankle), Seth Curry-out (ankle), Mark Williams-out (back), Nick Richards-questionable (foot)

Magic: Markelle Fultz-questionable (knee)

Yesterday, the Hornets announced that Seth Curry and Cody Martin would be reevaluated in two weeks as they recover from sprained ankles, so expect to see them join the injury report as mainstays.

The Hornets have crashed back down to Earth after their four game winning streak. They’ve lost their last four and five of their last six. The one win came over the equally despondent Trail Blazers. They’ve at least been competitive most of the time, which is more than could be said for a large stretch of the middle of the season.

Tonight’s opponent is a difficult match-up though. The Magic are on the ascent after a couple of lean years that coincidentally started with the last year of the Steve Clifford era. They’ve done a good job assembling talent, and it’s starting to pay off. They have a clear identity–they’re gritty and scrappy and give nothing away easily. They have the fifth best defensive rating in the league and are one of the better teams in the league on both the offensive and defensive glass. They play slow. They grind out games.

It’s a less-than-ideal kind of opponent for the Hornets. The Hornets are one of the worst teams in the league at scoring in the half court. They’ve been headstrong forcing up 2-point field goal attempts, and there’s little chance that works against a Magic team that’s going to contest every shot and bother the Hornets with their length. The Magic clean up the glass, so the Hornets aren’t going to have many chances to win there. On the other side of the floor, the Hornets have struggled to rebound, especially in recent weeks. The Magic are good at tracking their own misses.

The Hornets improved defense should be able to limit the Magic’s still developing offense, but it’s tough to see that being enough to give the Hornets a great chance of winning.

On paper, it looks like another one of those 108-98 type losses that have become somewhat common for the Hornets lately. It’ll be a slow, low scoring game that is sure to have it’s fair share of ugly moments and scoring droughts.