Thriving Hornets look to knock off Magic
The growing momentum is something the Charlotte Hornets are thriving on and they understand this is a make-or-break stretch to the season.
The hot Hornets will be in action Thursday night when the Orlando Magic visit Charlotte.
"Down the stretch, you can't be one of those teams like, ‘Oh, we'll get them tomorrow' or ‘We'll get them next game,' " Hornets guard Coby White said. "Every moment counts, every possession matters, and you just can't take it for granted."
Charlotte (35-34) has won three of its last four games, using a huge fourth quarter to beat the Miami Heat 136-106 on Tuesday night at home. LaMelo Ball hit the 30-point mark for the second time in a three-game span for the Hornets, who outscored the Heat 40-18 over the final 12 minutes.
The Magic (38-30) are trying to get back on track after back-to-back losses, including Tuesday's 113-108 home setback to Oklahoma City. Orlando had won seven straight until this week.
"Bounce back. Here's the thing, we talk about one game at a time," Magic coach Jamahl Mosley said. "I think we did some good things. I think there's a lot we can grow from and learn from and we're going to have to do that going to Charlotte."
Orlando's Paolo Banchero has remained on a roll, averaging a team-best 22.4 points per game. He has scored more than 30 points in three of the last nine games.
"He has a game who's going to continue to attack and that's what we need him to do," Mosley said.
This will be the fourth and final regular-season meeting between the Magic and Hornets. Orlando holds first place in the Southeast Division, but fourth-place Charlotte is only 3½ games back.
Charlotte's big outburst against Miami gave the Hornets 130 or more points for the third time in a month's span.
"A great collective team win," Hornets coach Charles Lee said. "Every possession there was way more purpose."
Lee said there has been better focus from the team when tough situations -- such as mounting foul trouble -- might have been distracting in the past.
"Our group did a great job of coming into a timeout and talking about just focusing on what's going to help you impact winning," Lee said.
Orlando won an October meeting by 123-107 in Charlotte, and the Hornets avenged that outcome with road victories 120-105 on Dec. 26 and 124-97 on Jan. 22.
In the most-recent meeting, eight Charlotte players scored in double figures, led by Brandon Miller with 20 points.
Thursday's outing will be the second game of Charlotte's seven-game homestand. Support from the home crowd has become increasingly noticeable to the Hornets.
"It's all love," Ball said. "But like I've been saying, if you win, this city going to get behind you. They're going to rock with you. So that's all we trying to do, just keep winning and putting it on for the city."
It's expected to be an emotionally charged night with the jersey retirement of former Hornets great Dell Curry, a current broadcaster for the team and father of current NBA players Stephen Curry and Seth Curry.