Three Looks As Hornets And Magic Look To Punch Postseason Ticket

Hornets vs. Magic, 7:30 ET

I've put out a play on every Play-In Game so far, and I've gone 2-2. That isn't me bragging, of course. That's a losing record. But what I will tell you is that I told everyone who read or would listen that the NBA Playoffs are spectacular. They are every year, and this beginning to the "fringe" playoffs has been no exception. Four games, three of them had close results. With the 8th seed on the line, let's see how to play the Hornets vs. Magic.

The Hornets shocked the Heat and won their game in overtime. I feel like this needs a full breakdown for anyone who missed it. To begin, let me just mention that the game was tied for 14% of the game, and the Heat were leading for 44% of the game, while the Hornets were leading for 42% of it. That's how close the game was. In addition, neither team had a larger lead than eight at any point. In the final two minutes of the game, the Heat were up six. Neither team scored until Miles Bridges hit a three to pull Charlotte within three. The Heat hit one free throw to put them up four. Then Brandon Miller drained a really deep three with 18.6 remaining. After intentionally fouling Tyler Herro, who hit both free throws, the Hornets had to get another three. Inbounds pass to Coby White, who turns, sets his feet, and drains a tough, contested triple in the corner. Tie game, Herro misses his attempt. Overtime. In overtime, the Hornets had the momentum, but a couple of dumb plays from LaMelo Ball late in the game gave the Heat a chance. Ultimately, Ball gets to redeem himself with a layup to capture the lead. Davion Mitchell drives down the court and is blocked on his layup attempt. Game over.

 Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

The Magic did not have drama like this in their game. In fact, their game was the one boring game of all the Play-In Games. Despite not having Joel Embiid, the 76ers took it to Orlando and beat them by a comfortable margin. Just to give you a comparison of games, the largest lead for Orlando against Philadelphia was three points. The 76ers was 12, which is what they won by. In addition, the Magic led that game for just six percent of the time, compared to 82% for the 76ers. So what does Orlando need to change if they want to advance and face Detroit? They definitely need to shoot better from deep. They only hit 26% of three point attempts, but they didn't even take all that many (at least by current NBA standards). Paolo Banchero needs to be better as well. 18 points on 22 attempts is really tough to see. He also had six turnovers. Desmond Bane was the only guy who did anything for them on offense.

I think this should be a more entertaining game, but I have a specific play that I like here. Actually, three if you care to play them. I love fading teams off of big emotional wins. They just don't tend to come out with as much energy, and now the Hornets had to sit and wait to see who they were playing. They are familiar with the Magic, taking three of four from them this year, including both in Orlando. The Magic have looked awful lately, but I think they come out in the first quarter and try to establish their game. Give me the Magic in the 1st quarter at +100. I also expect Kon Knueppel to have a rebound game from the rough one he had against the Heat. I'd expect him to score over 16.5, but I don't love it. This is the most basketball the guy has ever played, and his legs may just be shot. I do also think the Hornets win and go over their 110.5 total. They have scored at least 107 in each of the games against the Magic, and 120 or more in the last three. 

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