Charlotte Hornets head coach Charles Lee, center, calls his players together during action against the Orlando Magic at Spectrum Center in Charlotte Thursday. The Magic defeated the Hornets 123-107. JEFF SINER jsiner@charlotteobserver.com
It’s very early in the new NBA season, but the Charlotte Hornets already have a “check engine” light on their dashboard.
Thursday night’s 123-107 loss to Orlando was a bad loss. Charlotte never led, committed 21 turnovers, started three rookies and lost decisively after another poor defensive performance.
Orlando (2-4) is far from a great team, except when it plays the Hornets. The Magic is now 10-1 against Charlotte in the two teams’ last 11 meetings.
Charlotte (2-3), playing in front of a home crowd of 18,478 at Spectrum Center, got throttled Thursday. The game was so unremarkable and out of hand for most of the second half that by far the loudest cheer came when Orlando’s Paolo Banchero missed two consecutive free throws midway through the fourth quarter. The 0-for-2 performance at the free throw line allowed every fan in the building to be able to claim a free 8-piece Chick-fil-A nuggets on their cell phone.
Free food reliably gets cheers, just like free T-shirts always do. But the Hornets are going to require a lot more to keep the crowds interested at home this season.
Another trouble spot Thursday was a replay of one of the Hornets’ all-time greatest hits: a nagging injury to one of their stars.
In this case it’s Brandon Miller, the dazzling wing player who got in only five quarters this season before suffering a left shoulder subluxation in Philadelphia Saturday night.
Charlotte Hornets guard Sion James, left, is hugged by injured guard Brandon Miller prior to the team’s game against the Orlando Magic at Spectrum Center in Charlotte, NC on Thursday, October 30, 2025. JEFF SINER jsiner@charlotteobserver.com
Miller was in street clothes Thursday and on the Hornets bench. He’s missed the last three games and it’s unclear how many more he’s going to miss. A good guess with a shoulder subluxation — a partial dislocation — based on past NBA recovery times, though, is that Miller will be out at least another 1-2 weeks.
Miller led the Hornets in an impressive season-opening home win Oct. 23, but that’s the only game he’s finished this season.
Of the other four, Charlotte has lost three of them. And while the Charlotte rookies’ progression is largely a good thing — at one point, first-year players Kon Knueppel, Ryan Kalkbrenner, Sion James and Liam McNeeley all shared the court Thursday — it’s much more of a developmental project rather than “win now” sort of thing.
Ideally, that’s not where the Hornets should be in Year Six of the LaMelo Era. And yet here we are. Still talking about defensive lapses; still wondering when Charlotte will ever break the NBA’s longest active non-playoff streak.
Charlotte Hornets forward Miles Bridges, front, blocks out Orlando Magic forward Jonathan Isaac, left, during action at Spectrum Center in Charlotte, NC on Thursday, October 30, 2025. The Magic defeated the Hornets 123-107. JEFF SINER jsiner@charlotteobserver.com
Said Charlotte coach Charles Lee after the loss to Orlando: “Our defensive execution was not good enough coming off of last game (when Charlotte allowed 144 points to Miami). To start the game with a 38-point first quarter (by Orlando) and a 33-point second quarter — especially with the points of emphasis being taking care of the paint, defending without fouling, second-chance points — it felt like those reared their heads too much in that first half.”
By halftime, Charlotte trailed by 13. The Hornets made a nice run in the third quarter, slicing Orlando’s lead to three at 88-85. But Orlando — which had five players scoring between 18 and 21 points — then rolled off 13 points in a row. The rest of it was just playing out the string.
With that said, I do like the Hornets’ rookie class. Charlotte started three rookies Thursday — everyone except McNeeley — as Lee continues to search for the right combination. Knueppel had the worst game of his extremely young NBA career, scoring only five points and making four turnovers. But Kalkbrenner went for 17 points and had seven rebounds (Collin Sexton led Charlotte with 19 points; LaMelo Ball had 17 and 13 assists).
Charlotte Hornets guard LaMelo Ball, left, falls to the court as Orlando Magic center Wendell Carter Jr., right, goes after the loose ball during action at Spectrum Center in Charlotte, NC on Thursday, October 30, 2025. JEFF SINER jsiner@charlotteobserver.com
Rookie Sion James got his first NBA start for Charlotte and played OK, but didn’t think the Hornets played well overall. Of his first start, James said: “It was cool. I enjoyed it. It’s always a good opportunity. I wish we didn’t lose by 16, and get out-physicaled the whole time.”
That was a promising quote from a player determined to get better. Let’s hope the Hornets are determined to get better, too, in these next two home games against Minnesota and Utah. By now, we’ve all seen enough forgettable home losses like Thursday night’s from the Hornets to last a lifetime.
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