Orlando Magic head coach Jamahl Mosley called out his players for their lackluster showing in their 120-105 home loss against the Charlotte Hornets on Friday night. Mosley was particularly pissed with their effort on the glass.
“Bottom line, Charlotte came in here and kicked our ass,” Mosley said via Jason Beede of the Orlando Sentinel. “There’s no other way to put it. Excuse my language, sorry. But they did.”
“They wanted the ball more; they got the ball, and when they got the ball in the second chance, they knocked shots down. It’s deflating when you get the initial stop, but you don’t finish the possession. And that’s what they did. Give them a ton of credit, they’ve been playing great basketball,” he added.
To Mosley’s point, the Orlando Magic were outrebounded 53-42, and the Charlotte Hornets had 25 second-chance points from their 16 offensive rebounds. Charlotte also shot better from the field (47 percent) and three-point line (49 percent).
Orlando Magic News: Anthony Black addresses Paolo Banchero’s recent struggles
Paolo Banchero hasn’t been the same for the Orlando Magic since he returned from a groin injury. In his last two games, the former No. 1 overall pick scored only 12 and 13 points on a poor field goal percentage.
Despite this, Orlando Magic guard Anthony Black is confident that Banchero will regain his form, and it’ll take a more concerted effort from the team to get their star going.
“He’s one of the best young players in the league, so teams’ whole gameplan is to stop him. So, it’s tough,” Black said of Banchero. “We’ve got to do a better job getting him easier looks… He’s just got to keep playing with confidence. We’ve all got confidence in him. We know who he is.”
