What went wrong for Hornets? How Kon Knueppel, Charlotte spiraled out of playoff contention with ugly loss
Charlotte disappointed on Friday night with a chance to end a long playoff drought.
What went wrong for Hornets? How Kon Knueppel, Charlotte spiraled out of playoff contention with ugly loss originally appeared on The Sporting News . Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here .
Buzz City might be buzzing once again, but the fans in Orlando had the final say on Friday night. The Magic rolled to a 121-90 win to clinch the East’s final playoff berth, holding the Hornets to 37 points in the first half and leading by as much as 35 before halftime. The blowout loss was a complete momentum shift for both teams.
The Hornets traveled to Orlando as favorites after an exhilarating win over the Heat on Tuesday. The Magic, meanwhile, flopped in Philadelphia on Wednesday and were facing questions about the coaching future of Jamahl Mosley. For now, it’s the Hornets who have to deal with questions after missing the playoffs for the 10th consecutive season.
SN's NBA HQ: Live NBA scores | Updated NBA standings | Full NBA schedule What went wrong for Hornets? Deficits can quickly be overcome in the NBA, but the Hornets buried themselves with a dismal first half on Friday. Charlotte started 8-of-31 from the field and finished 13-of-41 in the first half, while the Magic won the rebounding battle by doubling up the Hornets 24-12 in the first half.