3/1 - Hornets vs Magic
Posted: Sun Mar 1, 2015 9:59 pm
Charlotte Hornets @ Orlando Magic
6pm Amway Center
PG Mo Williams SG Gerald Henderson SF Michael Kidd-Gilchrist PF Cody Zeller C Al Jefferson
vs
PG Elfrid Payton SG Victor Oladipo SF Tobias Harris PF Channing Frye C Nikola Vucevic
ABOUT THE HORNETS:
Charlotte is giving up an average of 100.5 points over the past six games after allowing 89.1 while winning 12 of the previous 16. That prior stretch started with a 98-90 win at Orlando on Jan. 3, the Hornets' fourth victory in five visits.
Kemba Walker had 30 points in the latest matchup there, but he's out recovering from knee surgery, leaving Williams and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist to pick up the slack.
Williams, though, is averaging 7.4 points over his last five games against the Magic (19-41), and he's totaled seven while shooting 2 for 13 in the past two.
Kidd-Gilchrist had 17 and 12 rebounds at Orlando in the January victory, and he's averaging career highs of 10.8 and 7.3, respectively, overall.
ABOUT THE MAGIC:
"I thought the biggest challenge (upon taking the job) was establishing an identity and what our message was going to be. In season, you can't change an entire program, but we had to pick a few things to identify and emphasize. So far we've committed to those areas and we've seen growth and we'll stay with that."
One of those areas is defense, as Orlando is yielding just 93.0 points per game under Borrego. However, that's not been enough lately, as the Magic fell 95-88 at East-leading Atlanta on Friday, two days after losing 93-90 in overtime to Miami, ending a three-game winning streak.
Nikola Vucevic is averaging 26.0 points in three games, scoring 21 with 15 boards against the Hawks. The center had 20 and 10 against the Hornets in January.
Victor Oladipo had a team-high 21 points in that meeting after totaling 25 on 34.6 percent shooting in the previous two at home.
6pm Amway Center
PG Mo Williams SG Gerald Henderson SF Michael Kidd-Gilchrist PF Cody Zeller C Al Jefferson
vs
PG Elfrid Payton SG Victor Oladipo SF Tobias Harris PF Channing Frye C Nikola Vucevic
ABOUT THE HORNETS:
Charlotte is giving up an average of 100.5 points over the past six games after allowing 89.1 while winning 12 of the previous 16. That prior stretch started with a 98-90 win at Orlando on Jan. 3, the Hornets' fourth victory in five visits.
Kemba Walker had 30 points in the latest matchup there, but he's out recovering from knee surgery, leaving Williams and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist to pick up the slack.
Williams, though, is averaging 7.4 points over his last five games against the Magic (19-41), and he's totaled seven while shooting 2 for 13 in the past two.
Kidd-Gilchrist had 17 and 12 rebounds at Orlando in the January victory, and he's averaging career highs of 10.8 and 7.3, respectively, overall.
ABOUT THE MAGIC:
"I thought the biggest challenge (upon taking the job) was establishing an identity and what our message was going to be. In season, you can't change an entire program, but we had to pick a few things to identify and emphasize. So far we've committed to those areas and we've seen growth and we'll stay with that."
One of those areas is defense, as Orlando is yielding just 93.0 points per game under Borrego. However, that's not been enough lately, as the Magic fell 95-88 at East-leading Atlanta on Friday, two days after losing 93-90 in overtime to Miami, ending a three-game winning streak.
Nikola Vucevic is averaging 26.0 points in three games, scoring 21 with 15 boards against the Hawks. The center had 20 and 10 against the Hornets in January.
Victor Oladipo had a team-high 21 points in that meeting after totaling 25 on 34.6 percent shooting in the previous two at home.
