The Charlotte Hornets played strong through the middle portion of the game but ultimately fell short despite a strong performance from LaMelo Ball.
The summary
The Hornets fell behind early as they struggled to contain the Magic in the paint. To make matters worse, LaMelo Ball picked up two quick fouls. That’ll come back later. Nick Smith Jr. and KJ Simpson helped stopped the Hornets’ early bleeding with a couple of quick threes. A couple minutes later, Seth Curry’s 4-point play helped the Hornets crawl back within two heading to quarter two.
The first few minutes were about as ugly a stretch of play as you’ll see in NBA game.