The Orlando Magic defeated the Charlotte Hornets, 119-113, at Spectrum Center on Sunday afternoon.

The Magic (22-32) and the Hornets (15-40) are both going through rebuilding processes, but Orlando is far more ahead than Charlotte on the path to relevancy, which showed in this game. The Hornets looked better in the early going, however, and they jumped out to a 37-28 score in the first quarter, but the Magic didn’t go down without swinging and managed to turn things around following a 34-21 score in the second quarter, jumping to a four-point lead entering the halftime break. The second half was a tight battle, and both teams tried to establish supremacy. Still, the Magic always found a way to counter Charlotte’s attempts on offense, and they ended up winning the contest after winning the final two quarters by one point each. The most significant difference in this game was the efficiency from the free throw line, with the Magic making 90 percent of their shots (27-30) while the Hornets made just 47.8 percent of their attempts (11-23). With the win, Orlando moved to 9-19 on the road, while the Hornets fell to 7-17 at home.

Paolo Banchero was the leading scorer for the Magic in this game and finished with 22 points, 10 rebounds and five assists, while Wendell Carter Jr. posted 20 points, 12 rebounds and three assists in his return to the starting lineup. Franz Wagner ended up with 14 points and five boards, whereas Markelle Fultz notched 16 points and five assists with three steals. The bench combined to score 39 points.

LaMelo Ball scored a game-high 33 points and also added eight rebounds, six assists and four steals, but his efforts were not enough. Terry Rozier delivered 24 points, six assists and three rebounds, and Mason Plumlee sniffed a double-double after recording 10 points, nine boards, four assists and a block. P.J. Washington recorded 12 points and four rebounds, and Dennis Smith Jr. had 14 points off the bench.