The Charlotte Hornets put their four-game winning streak on the line on Friday night against the Orlando Magic. Unfortunately, LaMelo Ball, Miles Bridges and the rest of the team were unable to extend it.

Orlando was on a 10- game skid before ending that drought with 116-109 win against Charlotte. It was a fun, fast-paced game from the opening tip and both teams were trading blows. While the Hornets outscored the Magic in the first three quarters, they got overwhelmed 28-18 in the final period.

At one point, the Magic went on a 15-2 run to break the game open.

They were simply outplayed and outhustled. James Borrego, who seemed irate, admitted as much in his postgame presser.

ā€œI thought they played harder, they were the more aggressive team. They acted like we did the last couple games. Credit to them. We got a ways to go,ā€ the Hornets coach said of the loss.

Charlotte's last three wins were over Eastern Conference powerhouses in the Milwaukee Bucks and Philadelphia 76ers. In those games, fansĀ  saw the Hornets play out of their minds. They were getting every loose ball, hitting open shots and communicating on defense. The camaraderie was there and the team was inspired to get wins over an elite team. That same energy just wasn't there on Friday night.

Miles Bridges noticed that and shared his thoughts on that subject.

ā€œYeah, for sure. Those guys came out, played hard, punched us in the mouth, did all the little things and got all the 50-50 balls and we didnā€™t. In the previous games, we were getting all the 50-50 balls, talking on defense every rebound and we didnā€™t do that today.ā€

A lack of effort is the last thing you need in any game. Despite the Magic having one of the worst records in the league, they are still a group of professionals. They should not be taken lightly. So what if they aren't amongst the NBA's elite? That just means they'll come out swinging every game. Besides, they really have nothing to lose.

Bridges also touched on his teams maturity level for a game like Friday night's.

ā€œJust getting up for every game. We could easily get up for Warriors or Bucks, Nets game. But when we play these types of teams, we got to be able to get up and approach the game the same way. That shows a sign of maturity and thatā€™s not what we did,ā€ Bridges exclaimed.

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LaMelo Ball, for his part, also chimed in during the postgame press conference. He touched on the Hornets underestimating their opponent as well.

ā€œI feel like thatā€™s where it starts right there. We feel like we should beat a team. I feel like we should just take everybody the same. Come in, do the same stuff and try to get the win instead of looking down on people like ā€˜Oh yeah, weā€™re supposed to win this one.' People probably ease up, just stay on it.ā€

On the bright side, it's good to see that the Hornets' young leaders are stepping up and keeping it real. They know the onus falls on them since they are looked at as franchise players.

Ball, Bridges and co. will be fine, they just need to replicate that same kind of juice they showed against the Bucks and Sixers . Hopefully, they are more motivated to get back in the win column on Martin Luther King Day in Madison Square Garden.