Orlando Magic vs Charlotte Hornets Prediction, 3/3/2023 Preview and Pick

Game: Orlando Magic vs Charlotte Hornets

Date: Friday, March 3, 2023

Location: Spectrum Center in Charlotte, NC

TV: Bally Sports Southeast-Charlotte

The Charlotte Hornets will try to defeat the Orlando Magic at Spectrum Center on Friday.

The Magic faced the Bucks and took a loss by a final of 139-117 in their last contest. Regarding fouls, the Magic left the arena with 18 and the Bucks had 23 fouls. They also converted 26 of 56 shots from downtown. Milwaukee ended up shooting 78.9% at the free throw line by making 15 of their 19 shots. Moreover, Milwaukee snagged 46 rebounds (8 offensive, 38 defensive) and earned 5 blocks. Milwaukee distributed 29 assists and had 4 steals for this game. When it comes to defending, Orlando allowed the other team to go 52.1% from the floor on 49 out of 94 shooting. They also recorded 22 assists for this contest in addition to forcing the opposition into 8 turnovers and having 3 steals. In reference to rebounding, they compiled a total of 50 with 12 of them being of the offensive variety. At the free throw line, the Magic buried 22 of 29 tries for a rate of 75.9%. Orlando ended the contest with a 45.7% FG percentage (43 out of 94) and converted 9 out of their 33 shots from distance.

Cole Anthony is one guy who was a factor for the matchup. Anthony finished the game at 62.5% from the field and also recorded 4 assists. He played for 33 minutes and also totaled 7 boards. He left the arena with 28 points on 10 out of 16 shooting.

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Orlando comes into this contest with a win-loss record of 26-37 for the season. They lose possession by turning the ball over 15.1 times per contest and as a squad they are committing 20.2 personal fouls per contest. As a unit, Orlando is collecting 43.0 rebounds per game and has accounted for 1,427 assists for the year, which has them ranked 28th in the NBA in terms of passing the ball. The Magic are connecting on 34.6% on shots from beyond the arc (668 of 1,933) and 78.7% from the charity stripe. They currently have an average of 110.7 points per outing (28th in basketball) on 46.9% from the floor.

On defense, the Magic are forcing 14.5 turnovers every game while drawing 20.6 personal fouls. They are giving up 35.0% on 3-pointers and they are ranked 17th in the NBA in PPG from their opponents (113.7). The Magic are giving up an opponent FG percentage of 47.5% (2,607 of 5,486) and they concede 42.2 rebounds per contest as a squad. They rank 25th in the NBA in allowing assists to their opponents with 1,627 conceded on the campaign.

When they last stepped on the hardwood, the Hornets took a defeat with a final score of 105-91 when they faced the Suns. The Hornets were able to corral 36 defensive rebounds and 12 offensive rebounds totaling 48 for the contest. They turned it over 13 times, while getting 3 steals in this game. The Suns earned 22 fouls in this contest which got the Hornets to the charity stripe for a total of 28 tries. They were able to bury 18 of the free throw tries for a rate of 64.3%. When talking about shooting from beyond the arc, Charlotte made 9 out of their 33 tries (27.3%). When the final whistle was blown, the Hornets finished 32 out of 88 from the field which had them shooting 36.4%. The Hornets allowed the Suns to convert 42 out of 89 tries from the floor which left them with a shooting percentage of 47.2% for the matchup. They finished 36.0% from 3-point land by going 9 of 25 and walked away from this one shooting 12 out of 15 from the charity stripe (80.0%). With respect to how they cleaned up the glass, Charlotte allowed Phoenix to collect 48 in total (5 on the offensive glass).

Kelly Oubre Jr. was important for the Hornets in this matchup. He buried 9 out of 24 for this game for a rate of 37.5%, and added 9 rebounds. Oubre earned 26 points in his 38 mins on the court and had 1 assist for this contest.

Charlotte has a win-loss record of 20-44 for the year. The Hornets commit 20.7 personal fouls every game and they shoot 74.8% from the charity stripe. They are earning an assist 25.1 times per contest (15th in the league) and they cough up possession 13.8 times per game. Charlotte has scored 7,187 pts on the year (112.3 per contest) and they grab 45.1 rebounds per game. As an offensive unit, the Hornets are shooting 45.5% from the floor, which ranks them 27th in the NBA.

The Hornets on the defensive side of the court are 27th in basketball in PPG given up with 118.2. They have forced 15.0 turnovers per game and allow teams to shoot 47.9% from the field (22nd in the league). The Charlotte defense surrenders 36.3% on shots from beyond the arc (812 of 2,236) and opponents are converting on 79.2% of their shots from the charity stripe. They have surrendered 26.5 dimes and 46.5 rebounds per game, which has them ranked 30th and 29th in the league.

Who will win tonight's NBA game against the spread?

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take Charlotte

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