Magic flounder in loss to visiting Hornets

Jason Beede, Orlando Sentinel on Jan 22, 2026

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ORLANDO, Fla. — After the Magic split a pair of games against the Grizzlies in Europe, coach Jamahl Mosley emphasized the need for his team to start games off stronger when it returned home this week.

Hosting the Hornets on Thursday night, Orlando failed to accomplish such a start, trailing by 15 after the first quarter, and found itself behind most of the game in a 124-97 loss to Charlotte inside Kia Center.

Missing starters Franz Wagner (left ankle soreness) and Jalen Suggs (right knee MCL bruise), the Magic led for only 38 seconds after Desmond Bane hit the first shot of the game and trailed by as many as 33 points to their Southeast Division foe.

The contest marked the 18th time the Magic have allowed 120-plus points this season, posting a 6-12 record in those contests.

Playing on the second night of a back-to-back, Charlotte (17-28) had six scorers finish in double figures, including Brandon Miller, who led the team with 20 points.

For Orlando, which lacked the necessary precision and sense of urgency to win on its home floor, the loss is its second in a row, keeping the team at 5-5 in its last 10 games.

The Magic (23-20) remain at Kia Center when they face the Cavaliers for the first of four times this season Saturday.

Starting 5

Anthony Black and Tristan da Silva filled in for Suggs and Wagner, starting alongside regulars Paolo Banchero, Bane and Wendell Carter Jr. against Charlotte.

Bane and Banchero both notched 12 points in the first half.

Banchero ended with 23 points, seven rebounds and five assists.

Bane totaled 21 points in 32 minutes.

Difference from distance

Charlotte, which entered the game inside the top 10 in 3-point shooting (36.6%), shot 9 for 14 from beyond the arc (64.3%) in first quarter.

It slowed down some in the second frame, shooting 2 for 9, but they hit four more long-range baskets in the third quarter. The team ended 17 for 36 (47.2%) from distance.

Orlando, which ranked 29th in 3-point percentage heading into Thursday (33.9%), continued to struggle from the perimeter, shooting 5 for 19 (26.3%) from distance in the first half.

It finished 14 for 37 (37.8%).

Rookie watch

Second-round pick Noah Penda provided a small spark with a pair of first-half dunks — the first off a steal late in the opening frame and the second in transition off an assist from Bane early in the second quarter.

The French forward hit two 3-pointers and totaled 13 points and four assists in 19 minutes.

First-round pick Jase Richardson missed first two shots and ended 1 for 5 for two points in 23 minutes.