Magic rout Hornets, grab No. 8
Orlando beat Charlotte 121–90 in the play‑in to claim the East's No. 8 seed and will meet the No. 1 Detroit Pistons in the first round. ( )
Orlando is back in the playoffs after a 31-point blowout of Charlotte on Friday night sealed the Eastern Conference’s No. 8 seed. (apnews.com) Paolo Banchero scored 25 points, and the Magic built a 35-point lead in the first half before finishing off a 121-90 win at Kia Center on April 17. The result sent Orlando into a first-round series against the top-seeded Detroit Pistons. (apnews.com) The game was the final Eastern Conference play-in matchup, a win-or-go-home step in the National Basketball Association’s format for teams that finish seventh through 10th. The winner of the 7-vs.-8 game gets the No. 7 seed, and the winner of the last-chance game takes No. 8. (nba.com) Orlando got to this game by losing its first play-in chance, while Charlotte advanced through the 9-vs.-10 track and had to win again to reach the bracket. Friday’s loss ended the Hornets’ season; Friday’s win extended the Magic’s into a best-of-seven series that opens Sunday, April 19, in Detroit. (sports.yahoo.com, sports.yahoo.com) The matchup now shifts from survival to seeding. Detroit finished first in the East and had been waiting for the play-in winner, while Orlando had to play its way through the extra round just to claim the conference’s last spot. (espn.com, sports.yahoo.com) The margin also said something about how Orlando won: defense, pressure and a game that was effectively decided before halftime. Yahoo Sports described the Magic’s defense and hustle as overwhelming Charlotte from the opening stretch. (sports.yahoo.com) For Charlotte, the play-in run stopped one game short of a full playoff berth. For Orlando, the reward for a dominant night is immediate: Game 1 against Detroit on Sunday, with no extra cushion left. (apnews.com, sports.yahoo.com)
