Charlotte Hornets (44-38, ninth in the Eastern Conference) vs. Orlando Magic (45-37, eighth in the Eastern Conference)
Orlando, Florida; Friday, 7:30 p.m. EDT
LINE: Hornets -3.5; over/under is 218
PLAY-IN GAME: The Magic and Hornets square off to decide the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference.
BOTTOM LINE: The Orlando Magic and the Charlotte Hornets take the court for the NBA Playoffs Play-In Tournament. The winner claims the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference Playoffs.
The Magic are 26-26 against Eastern Conference opponents. Orlando is 20-26 against opponents with a winning record.
The Hornets are 11-5 against the rest of their division. Charlotte is seventh in the Eastern Conference scoring 116.0 points per game and is shooting 46.0%.
The Magic are shooting 46.4% from the field this season, 0.3 percentage points lower than the 46.7% the Hornets allow to opponents. The Hornets are shooting 46.0% from the field, 1.6% lower than the 47.6% the Magic’s opponents have shot this season.
TOP PERFORMERS: Paolo Banchero is averaging 22.2 points, 8.4 rebounds and 5.2 assists for the Magic. Jalen Suggs is averaging 2.8 made 3-pointers over the last 10 games.
LaMelo Ball is averaging 20.1 points and 7.1 assists for the Hornets. Brandon Miller is averaging 19.5 points over the last 10 games.
LAST 10 GAMES: Magic: 7-3, averaging 116.4 points, 43.5 rebounds, 27.3 assists, 8.1 steals and 4.0 blocks per game while shooting 47.0% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 117.5 points per game.
Hornets: 6-4, averaging 113.4 points, 44.8 rebounds, 24.9 assists, 6.3 steals and 4.1 blocks per game while shooting 45.6% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 107.1 points.
INJURIES: Magic: Jonathan Isaac: day to day (knee).
Hornets: Moussa Diabate: day to day (hip), PJ Hall: out for season (ankle).
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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
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