Kemba Walker had 30 points and seven assists to lead the Charlotte Hornets over the Orlando Magic, 98-90. Coming into the action, the Hornets have lost six of their last 10 games.
Both teams had a rough start early in the first quarter, but Charlotte managed to have the lead at the end of the opening quarter, 22-20, behind Walker's seven first quarter points.
The second frame was a different story, as the Hornets outscored the Magic, 30-9, cruising to a 52-29 lead heading into the locker room. Michael Kidd-Gilchrist and Gary Neal exploded in the second quarter combining for 16 of the Hornets' 30 points. Meanwhile, Ben Gordon and Tobias Harris were the lone scorers for the Magic in the second combining for nine points.
Orlando tried to make a comeback igniting a 13-2 run in the third capped off by Kyle O'Quinn's three-point basket to trim the deficit to 12. Victor Oladipo scored 10 of his 21 points in the pivotal third quarter, but the Hornets remained composed taking a 70-54 lead heading into the final quarter.
The Magic were scorching hot in the fourth, trimming the deficit to nine with 1:23 to play. Orlando outscored Charlotte in the fourth, 36-28, but it proved too little to beat the streaking Hornets who got a huge lift from Kemba Walker in the final quarter.
Michael Kidd-Gilchrist finished the game tallying 17 points and 12 rebounds for the Hornets, who won the rebounding battle, 53-44. Gary Neal added 16 points off the pine, while Cody Zeller pitched in with 12.
Victor Oladipo paved the way for the Magic with 21 points and five assists. Nikola Vucevic added 20 points, while Tobias Harris contributed 18 for Orlando.
The Charlotte Hornets improve to 11-24 after losing their last five games, while the Orlando Magic drop their third straight game and have a 13-24 record.