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Third Quarter Explosion Leads the Charlotte Hornets Rout of the Orlando Magic
A third quarter explosion coupled with a great team performance led the Charlotte Hornets in their blowout victory over the Orlando Magic.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T | |
| Magic | 28 | 27 | 13 | 33 | 101 |
| Hornets | 32 | 30 | 35 | 23 | 120 |
The Charlotte Hornets (18-14) were able to defeat the Orlando Magic (15-19) in a blowout road win over their divisional rivals. A third quarter eruption led the Hornets and helped them gain control of the game in the second half. Kemba Walker and Nicolas Batum each had big games to lead the team as well.
Charlotte was once again without Marco Belinelli who missed his second straight game with a left ankle sprain but he should be returning soon. Cody Zeller suffered a minor injury at the end of the second quarter when he dislocated right ring finger but they popped it back in during halftime and he returned to start the third. The most important part of the game is that the starters got to rest a majority of the fourth quarter.
Turning Point
It was a seven-point game at halftime but the Hornets broke the game wide open when they went on an incredible 28-2 run in the third. From the 10:01 mark to 2:50 in the third period, Charlotte completely dominated on both ends of the floor. They ended up outscoring the Magic 35-13 in the quarter. After that, the team never looked back as they held a hefty lead for the remainder of the game.
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Who Stepped Up
Nicolas Batum led the way with a near triple-double as he finished with 20 points, nine rebounds, and eight assists. Kemba Walker led the Hornets with a team-high 21 points to go along with five assists and three rebounds. Jeremy Lamb added 14 points off the bench while Ramon Sessions also had a solid outing with 13 points.
Michael Kidd-Gilchrist scored 12 in this one and Cody Zeller rounded out the double-figure scorers with 10 points.
The Magic were led by Nikola Vucevic who scored 21 points and grabbed six rebounds. Serge Ibaka scored 20 points in the first half but was held scoreless in the final two quarters. There weren’t a lot of positives for Orlando in the second half but Mario Hezonja did score 10 points in only 12 minutes of action.
Highlight of the Game:
Great pass from Marvin ends in a @CodyZeller slam!!! 👊 #CHAatORL #BuzzCity pic.twitter.com/odyOAeFXQi
— Charlotte Hornets (@hornets) December 29, 2016
Tweet of the Game:
Quick Stings
With the win, the Hornets improved to 2-0 on the season against the Magic. At this point, Charlotte’s the likely favorites to sweep the season series. Thier next two meetings will be in March.
In their next game, the Charlotte Hornets will return home to take on another division rival in the Miami Heat. It will be the second half of a back to back and the second meeting between the two sides this so far this season. The team will look to build off of this win heading into their meeting with Hassan Whiteside and company.
