For the Orlando Magic, it has come down to finding the right combinations to fill temporary gaps in the lineup, while the Charlotte Hornets deal with injuries that have altered their rotations as well.
When the teams meet Tuesday night in Orlando for their NBA Cup group-play opener, the Magic will try to improve to 5-0 at home. They are coming off a huge second half that helped them crush the Washington Wizards 121-94 on Sunday by scoring 60 points after halftime.
Forward Franz Wagner scored 23 points as the Magic recorded a season-high point total. Wagner has led Orlando in scoring for the past five games.
The Magic now have a season-best three-game winning streak in their sights. They are still adjusting to the absences of injured Paolo Banchero (oblique) and Wendell Carter Jr. (foot), with the responsibility to make up for that production spread around the team.
“I’m just going to keep trying to put these performances together, keep running my way back into the lineup and just do what I can do,” said Magic guard Cole Anthony, who scored 16 points off the bench against Washington.
The Hornets fell 107-105 in overtime Sunday against the host Philadelphia 76ers after rallying from 16 points down with 9:44 remaining in regulation.
“We’ll grow from this and learn from it,” Charlotte coach Charles Lee said.
Guard LaMelo Ball racked up 38 points and eight assists for Charlotte, which is 1-3 in road games. Ball hit a game-tying 3-pointer from the left corner as he was fading out of bounds to force overtime.
“I expect it every game, so it’s not anything surprising,” teammate Brandon Miller said of Ball. “That’s what he does — play at a high clip in this league, and he’s going to keep getting better every day.”
Ball has scored more than 30 points in four of the last six games.
Anthony has averaged just 12.1 minutes per game to start the season but he is still playing with an edge, something that was evident after he drained a 3-pointer in Sunday’s game.
“He made the 3 on the right wing and came back and stared at me the whole time like he had just made six in a row,” Orlando coach Jamahl Mosley said. “But that’s who he is … that fearless, confident leader on the floor when he’s out there.”
Anthony is looking to bounce back from a ragged start to the season, averaging 4.8 points per game and shooting 26.3 percent from 3-point range.
“Obviously it hasn’t been the start to the season that I would have liked, but I’m hopeful,” Anthony said. “I continue to just put my head down, grind, do what I need to do on and off the court. I’m just going to keep trying to put these performances together.”
The Hornets have been dinged with injuries at the post positions, which makes their 50-40 rebounding edge against the 76ers encouraging.
In the Hornets’ backcourt, Tre Mann has been dealing with back soreness to put his availability in question. He has been a spark off the bench.
This will be Orlando’s third game in a five-game homestand.
