Charlotte Hornets guard Collin Sexton (8) drives to the basket against the Orlando Magic in the third quarter at Kia Center. Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

Hornets bench shines in blowout win over Magic

By Andrew Wright | Last updated Jan 22, 2026 10:00 PM ET

Just one night after scoring 87 points on national television, the Charlotte Hornets responded with a 124-97 win over the Orlando Magic.

The NBA's No. 1 ranked offense over the last 16 games got a stellar effort from its bench unit in what felt like a must-win game in the second day of a back-to-back.

Charlotte's bench had an outstanding game

Of the Hornets' 124 points for the game, 55 were scored from its bench. That was headlined by 19 points from Collin Sexton, as well as 13 from Tidjane Salaun and 10 from rookie center Ryan Kalkbrenner.

Even more impressive than the individual points from the Charlotte bench was its shooting from beyond the arc. Of its 10 three-pointers attempted, nine of them fell, good for a 90% hit rate.

Sexton and Salaun knocked down three three-pointers each, while Josh Green added two and Sion James added one. Charlotte's hot shooting was a key part of the Hornets' runaway win over the Eastern Conference's No. 7 seed.

Collin Sexton tonight:

19 Points
4 Assists
2 Steals
6/7 FG
3/3 3PT
4/4 FTS
108.4 TS%
+12

Young Bull making the most of his 23 mins! pic.twitter.com/5a5lCtftQ8
— SleeperHornets (@SleeperHornets) January 23, 2026

What can we make of the Hornets through 45 games?

We mentioned above that the Hornets have the top-rated offense in the NBA over the last 16 games. The problem, though, is that most of the time, the Charlotte defense is allowing more points than the offense can score.

Bad losses earlier in the season have cost the Hornets valuable games in the standings that could ultimately lead to a third straight season missing the NBA playoffs.

Continued solid performances from the Charlotte bench, though, could spark a late season run into the postseason. It'll have to be the veteran combination of Sexton and others that get the Hornets there.

Andrew Wright

Andrew "Dew" Wright graduated from Charleston Southern University with a degree in Communication Studies. He is a lifelong Chicago Cubs and Washington Commanders fan.

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