Hornets chase playoff return against Magic

The Charlotte Hornets will try to secure their first playoff berth in 10 years when they face the Orlando Magic on Friday night in the Eastern Conference play-in tournament.

Charlotte and Orlando will meet in Orlando to decide the final playoff spot in the East in a matchup between Southeast Division rivals.

The winner will claim the No. 8 seed in the Eastern Conference.

That team will then face the top-seeded Detroit Pistons in a first-round series scheduled to begin Sunday night.

For Charlotte, a win would cap one of the franchise’s most successful seasons in recent memory.

The Hornets have not reached the playoffs since 2016.

That is the longest active postseason drought in the NBA, according to the provided material.

Charlotte finished ninth in the East with a 44-38 record.

The Hornets advanced to the final stage of the play-in after beating the 10th-place Miami Heat, 127-126, in overtime on Tuesday night.

LaMelo Ball scored the game-winning layup with 4.7 seconds left in overtime in that victory.

Coby White helped force overtime by hitting a 3-pointer with 10.8 seconds remaining in regulation.

Charlotte survived when Tyler Herro missed a 3-pointer at the buzzer.

The Hornets nearly gave the game away after surrendering a five-point lead in the final 26 seconds of overtime.

Miles Bridges preserved the win by blocking a layup attempt by Davion Mitchell at the buzzer.

Ball’s late heroics came in a game that also brought disciplinary fallout.

The 24-year-old was fined USD 35,000 on Wednesday for what was assessed upon review as a flagrant 2 foul on Bam Adebayo.

The foul forced Adebayo out of the game in the second quarter.

Ball was also fined USD 25,000 for uttering a profanity during a live interview after the game.

Hornets head coach Charles Lee said the team’s resilience has defined its season.

“At the end of the day, execution is not always going to be perfect,” Lee said.

“But I think that these guys find a way to stick with it and not give in sometimes when things aren’t going well or not going your way.”

Orlando enters the game under more pressure despite finishing higher in the standings.

The Magic ended the regular season eighth in the East with a 45-37 record.

They dropped into the elimination play-in game after losing 109-97 to the host Philadelphia 76ers on Wednesday night.

Even with a win Friday, Orlando would still fall short of the expectations that followed the team into the season.

The Magic opened the campaign as one of the favorites in the Eastern Conference.

Orlando won only four more games than it did last season.

That modest improvement came despite the addition of Desmond Bane and the return of Paolo Banchero and Jalen Suggs.

Bane played all 82 games this season.

Banchero and Suggs had missed a combined 83 games in the 2024-25 season.

The Magic are seeking to make the playoffs for the third straight year.

Orlando missed a chance to secure home court against Philadelphia when it lost to the Boston Celtics in Sunday’s regular-season finale.

Boston rested its top seven scorers in that game, according to the provided material.

The Magic shot 39.6% from the field in the loss to Boston.

They then shot 40.7% in the defeat to Philadelphia on Wednesday.

It marked the first time Orlando shot below 41% in back-to-back games since consecutive losses to the Cleveland Cavaliers from Jan. 24-26.

The recent shooting slump has become a central concern for a team that expected to be much more secure entering the postseason.

Banchero said the Magic must move on quickly and respond at home.

“You live with the result and come out Friday in front of the home crowd and go get a win,” Banchero said.

“That’s all you can do. Shots didn’t fall, but you can’t be discouraged. We’ve got another game coming up real soon.”

Friday’s game now offers two teams very different stakes.

For Charlotte, it is a chance to end a decade-long drought and confirm a breakthrough season.

For Orlando, it is an opportunity to avoid a disappointing finish and keep alive hopes that have yet to match preseason expectations.