Orlando Magic claim 8th seed with play-in blowout over Charlotte Hornets

From the very beginning of the game, Paolo Banchero and the Magic were on fire and the Hornets looked stunned. Near-perfect defense and dynamic offense combined to help Orlando build a double-digit lead in the first seven minutes.

While LaMelo Ball and the Hornets struggled to get going, the Magic ran away with the lead. After one quarter, Orlando was ahead 38-16.

In the second quarter, the massive lead continued to grow. The Magic’s size and physicality smothered the Hornets on the defensive end while Orlando seemed to be getting buckets in every way on the other end. By halftime, Charlotte had more turnovers than made field goals and entered the break facing a 31-point deficit.

Ball and the Hornets had a slightly stronger third quarter. He dropped 21 of his 23 points in the quarter, but Charlotte struggled to make any real progress closing the gap.

The Magic stayed in front in the fourth quarter until both teams sent in their benches for the final few minutes. Turnovers haunted the Hornets all night as they finished the game with 16 of them.

The Magic will now face the top-seeded Detroit Pistons in the opening round of the playoffs.

James Parker contributed to this story.