The Orlando Magic suffered a 124-97 home loss against the Charlotte Hornets on Thursday, and center Moe Wagner told the media that the mood in the locker room is not good, as they’ve lost three of their last five.
The Orlando Magic got off to a lackluster start, getting outscored by 15 points in the opening period. The lead even ballooned to 33 points at one point, and they only led for 38 seconds total after Desmond Bane hit the first shot of the contest.
“I think we’re deep in the mud. I don’t think we’ve struggled this much in the time as much as we do right now in my stint here,” Moe Wagner told Jason Beede of the Orlando Sentinel. “And we’re all looking for answers. But it’s also part of this profession that it’s not always going to go our way. And you’ve kind of got to start looking left and right, and figure it out together. And we’ll start doing that.”
“It’s on everybody. It’s on me. Coaches. We’ve got to be on the same page. It sucks that I’m saying that in January, but that’s the reality. I don’t think we’ve been on the same page much this year. I just think it’s showing up with the way we’ve played, showing up with the inconsistencies throughout the season, and it’s frustrating,” Paolo Banchero continued.
Orlando Magic News: Jamahl Mosley calls out the “shocking” aspect of their loss vs. Charlotte Hornets
Orlando Magic head coach Jamahl Mosley criticized the team’s poor defense against the Charlotte Hornets on Thursday. The visitors shot 54 percent from the field and 47 percent from three-point range. In stark contrast, the hosts shot only 42 percent from the field and 38 percent from three-point range. It also didn’t help that they were without Franz Wagner (ankle) and Jalen Suggs (knee).
“It’s a little shocking. You’ve got to give the Hornets a ton of credit the way they came out and played. They played last night. They got beat. They responded with a sense of urgency the way they came out (scoring) 35 in that first quarter. Shots didn’t fall, and we let it impact our defense,” Mosley explained.
“You sit down and guard the damn basketball. That’s what you do. You take it personally when guys blow by you, when your teammate gets scored on, when you get scored on, and guys are getting easy baskets,” he added.
