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The Orlando Magic closed out the first half of their season on a strong note, securing a 102-86 victory over the Charlotte Hornets on Wednesday night. With the win, the Magic enter the All-Star break at 27-29, sitting seventh in the Eastern Conference as they prepare for the second half of the season.
Paolo Banchero led Orlando with 24 points, eight rebounds, six assists, and a block. After the game, he emphasized the importance of maintaining focus and consistency as the Magic look to stay in playoff position.
“I would say it’s really important,” Banchero said. “Just like I said, trying to emphasize our ability to get stops and just keeping guys engaged. Obviously, All-Star break is here, so you don’t want anyone to let off the gas and just emphasizing like we gotta keep playing. The Hornets, their record may not be good, but they’ve played a lot of teams tough, and they got guys over there who play hard the whole 48 – and so, just reminding our team that we can’t stop playing even if we have a lead.”
The Hornets, now 13-39, have struggled throughout the season but have remained competitive in several games despite their record.
Magic's third-quarter surge vs. Hornets fueled by Kentavious Caldwell-Pope's ejection
The Magic trailed at halftime but erupted in the third quarter, outscoring Charlotte 33-19. They shot 50% from the field and 41.7% from three-point range in the period while holding the Hornets to 41.2% overall and just 16.7% from deep.
Banchero pointed to the ejection of Kentavious Caldwell-Pope late in the first half as a catalyst for Orlando’s second-half surge. Caldwell-Pope was assessed two technical fouls after playing just 16 minutes, and his early exit lit a fire under the Magic.
“I would say us being down at halftime and how the half ended with KCP getting kicked out,” Banchero said. “Just us coming into the locker room and realizing there wasn’t really anything in specific in terms of… If you looked at the first half box score, there wasn’t anything that stood out as to why we were losing. It was more just we needed to play better. When you see one of your starters, a veteran, get kicked out of the game like that right before the half, I think it just adds some fire coming out of the locker room.”
Paolo Banchero emphasizes urgency ahead of All-Star break
The Magic’s first half of the season was marked by injuries to key players, including Banchero, Franz Wagner, and Jalen Suggs, who missed his ninth straight game Wednesday with a left quad contusion. Suggs has been sidelined for 19 games since Jan. 3, but the All-Star break provides a crucial opportunity for Orlando to regroup and get healthier for a critical stretch run.
Orlando remains within striking distance of a higher seed in the Eastern Conference. The Magic are 2.5 games behind the Detroit Pistons (29-26) for the sixth seed and 3.5 games behind the Milwaukee Bucks (29-24) for fifth.
The Magic will return from the break on Thursday, Feb. 20, with a road matchup against the Atlanta Hawks (26-29). Orlando will look to avenge its 112-106 loss to Atlanta earlier this week as it aims to strengthen its playoff positioning.
