Hornets beat Magic entering the All-Star break, 104-102

The Charlotte Hornets beat the Orlando Magic in the Amway Center on Wednesday Night, 104-102.

The Hornets started the game slow tonight and were outscored by the Magic 12-4 in the first few minutes of Wednesday night’s game. However, they finished the first quarter better than they started, though the Magic would still lead at the end of one, 26-20.

In the second quarter, the Hornets caught fire and managed to tally seven more points in the second period. Charlotte led the Magic at halftime, 54-53.

The second half was nothing short of a roller coaster. Charlotte took the lead early on in the third period, but Orlando would surge back late in the fourth quarter. Luckily, Nicolas Batum hit a clutch three with less than 20 seconds left to seal the Magic’s fate.

Kemba Walker, the captain, had 20 points on 6-of-19 shooting. He also tallied five rebounds, six assists, and four steals. Dwight Howard also had a monster night. Howard had 22 points and 13 rebounds. Jeremy Lamb led the bench in scoring with 17 points.

Frank Kaminsky only saw ten minutes of action, while Malik Monk, Willy Hernangomez, and Dwayne Bacon all did not play.

The Hornets also FINALLY won a game by three points or less, which ends their NBA record of 14 straight losses in games decided by three points or less.

Kemba Walker will now go to Los Angeles to participate in this year’s All-Star game. He is the only Hornet that is participating in the events this weekend.

Charlotte’s next game will be against the Brooklyn Nets in the Spectrum Center on Thursday, February 22nd.