The Charlotte Hornets engaged in an intense interconference matchup against the Orlando Magic on Tuesday night. Orlando controlled the game, but things got heated at the end of the second quarter. Davis Bertans initiated excessive contact with Jalen Suggs, which prompted a direct response from Grant Williams.

Frustrations boiled over during the Hornets' uphill battle

Davis Bertans was ejected for elbowing Jalen Suggs in the face late in the second quarter. Then, Suggs and Grant Williams got into an altercation after Williams gave the Magic guard a hard halfcourt screen:

The two players briefly argued before being separated. As the commentators mentioned, Williams was likely frustrated with Suggs after his reaction to Bertans' elbow. Nevertheless, the Magic got the last laugh.

Orlando won the matchup 112-92 off a superb team effort. The Magic had five players score in the double digits led by Cole Anthony, who scored a team-high 21 points. Jalen Suggs chipped in 16 points. Meanwhile, Franz Wagner, Moritz Wagner, and Paolo Banchero scored 11 or more points.

In addition, Orlando outrebounded Charlotte 41-30 and won the battle in the paint 60-42. The Magic also aced 92.3% of their free throw attempts compared to the Hornets' 77.8%.

Charlotte could not seem to stop Orlando's two-way attack, but they did have solid performances from a few players. Rookie forward Brandon Miller led the team with 21 points and seven rebounds, while Vasilije Micic contributed 20 points.

The Hornets fell to 17-52 on the season; however, there is still time to end the year on a positive note.

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Chicago Bulls shooting guard Ayo Dosunmu wearing a Charlotte Hornets jersey with a basketball, next to Atlanta Hawks forward A.J. Griffin also wearing a Charlotte Hornets jersey. A couple of Charlotte Hornets logos added in the background.

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Magic's Jalen Suggs in front of the NBA playoffs logo

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JJ Redick with Hornets' LaMelo Ball and Brandon Miller

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Can Charlotte go on a late-season run?

Unfortunately, the Hornets have been hit hard by trades and injuries. Most notably, star point guard LaMelo Ball has only played 22 games due to an ankle injury. Furthermore, Terry Rozier, one of the team's best scorers, was traded to the Miami Heat.

Despite the setbacks, the Hornets still have several more regular reason games to establish momentum going into the 2024-25 season.