Beede’s Breakdown: How Magic overcame errors to handle Hornets on road
The Magic recorded 17 turnovers, missed 7 free throws and only had two starters finish in double figures against the Hornets on Tuesday night.
These are usually the ingredients for disaster on the road against a 15-win team that has nothing to lose such as Charlotte (15-47).
That wasn’t the case for Orlando, however, as Jamahl Mosley‘s squad received a boost from its second unit and found a way to win 101-89 in a game that felt like a rock fight at times inside Spectrum Center.
The Magic (36-26) improved to 16-1 when allowing less than 100 points while winning their fourth contest in a row to open a three-game road trip on the first night of a back-to-back.
The franchise sits at 10 games above .500 for the first time since April 18, 2012.
The team has a quick turnaround when it faces the Wizards (9-52) on Wednesday at Capital One Arena (Bally Sports Florida, 7).
Game of Runs
Although the Hornets led at different times and by as many as 7, the Magic seemed to find their footing on offense when necessary.
Orlando used a 16-4 run to close out the first quarter with a 5-point lead, an 11-4 run to end the third frame ahead by 9 and gave itself room to work with in the fourth with a 10-0 run.
All three runs were powered by the Magic’s second unit, which outscored Charlotte’s 46-23.
Four reserves — Cole Anthony (14 points), Jonathan Isaac (11), Moe Wagner (11) and rookie Anthony Black (10) — finished in double figures.
Joe Ingles (8 assists) directed traffic for the second unit despite ending scoreless himself.
Isaac’s Impact
The forward jumped a Charlotte pass at the top of key for a steal and slam early in the second quarter.
The next Hornets possession, he blocked Grant Williams’ fadeaway shot in the paint.
Efficient on 4 of 4 shooting, Isaac helped spread the floor to counteract Charlotte’s zone defense and sunk his lone triple off an assist from Ingles by waiting in the right corner less than a minute later.
In 17 minutes, he added 6 rebounds and is questionable to play against Washington on the second night of a back-to-back because of left knee injury maintenance.
Rookie Watch
The 6-7 Black opened 3 of 3 from long range, including a second quarter triple that came with the shot clock running down.
He continued to have success in catch-and-shoot situations and brought his 3-point percentage up to 37.5% in those scenarios. Overall, the rookie is shooting 40.0% from distance, which is well above the 30.1% he shot on 3s during his one season at Arkansas.
Against the Hornets, he added 5 boards and an assist in 28 minutes.
Email Jason Beede at jbeede@orlandosentinel.com or follow him on X, known as Twitter, at @therealBeede.
