Magic star Paolo Banchero’s statement after loss to 76ers will have alarm bells ringing

The Orlando Magic came into the week with two chances to secure their spot in the NBA playoffs, and now they have just one. On Wednesday night, Orlando’s first chance went by the wayside during a 109-97 loss to the 76ers in Philadelphia.

Now, the Magic will head back home for a tilt with the Charlotte Hornets that will decide the No. 8 seed in the Eastern Conference and the team that gets to play the Detroit Pistons in the first round. While the Magic will have home-court advantage in that game on Friday, the matchup with Charlotte has not been kind to the Magic this season. Star forward Paolo Banchero pointed out as much after Wednesday’s loss.

“They’ve kicked our ass this year”

Paolo Banchero on the Magic’s upcoming play-in and matchup with the Hornets

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“They’re playing really well. They’ve kicked out a** this year,” Banchero said. “So we’ve gotta be ready, I’ve gotta be ready.”

Banchero is not wrong. The Magic and Hornets have squared off four times this season, and while Orlando got the first game back in October, the Hornets won the last three meetings by 15, 27 and 19 points. That’s bad news for the Magic coming into a must-win game on Friday.

Banchero didn’t have his best stuff on Wednesday as the Sixers packed the paint and dared the Magic to shoot over them. He finished the game with just 18 points on 7-for-22 shooting, missing all five of his 3-pointers and turning the ball over six times. That kind of effort isn’t going to cut it if the Magic want to make the playoffs, so he will need to bring his A-game against the Hornets.

On the other side, Orlando will have to contend with a Hornets team that has been playing some very good basketball of late. LaMelo Ball and Brandon Miller are both capable of lighting it up at any time, and even a slumping Kon Knueppel has been one of the best rookies of this decade this season and is capable of going crazy at any time.

The Magic have had problems with the Hornets and that core of guards all season, but now they are forced to find some solutions fast.

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