Charlotte Hornets at Orlando Magic preview

When: 7:00 PM EST

Where: Amway Center

TV: Fox Sports South, Fox Sports Network, League Pass

Not much has changed since the last time the Magic and Hornets faced off. There hasn't been much of a gap since the last time these two teams played meaning a lot of the narratives and story lines are the same as the last time these two met up.

That said, this isn't the same exact game as before. For starters, the Hornets will be without big man Al Jefferson making it a completely different game and drastically hurting the Hornets chances at a victory. Charlotte has so far had a difficult time figuring out what to do with their lack of big men. Many rotations with a mix of Bismack Biyombo, Cody Zeller, and Jason Maxiell have resulted below what the team wants out of their Center position.

Meanwhile, the Magic are having no problem with their big men. In fact, Orlando's deepest position might be the area where the Hornets are currently weakest. While the Hornets look for a suitable Jefferson replacement, Nikola Vucevic is in Orlando dominating opponents on the offensive side of the ball. Behind him are Kyle O'Quinn playing his way into a nice contract and Dewayne Dedmon showing some real ability to be a backup big man in this league, possibly more.

Despite this advantage, the Magic still have areas that the Hornets can exploit. Lately the Orlando defense has been easily exploitable by ball movement and a steady diet of attacks to the rim. If Charlotte can find holes in the Orlando defense then they can give themselves a chance at winning. If not, it might be a long night of dealing with Vucevic.