Hornets vs Magic Prediction, Picks & Odds for Friday’s NBA Play-In Tournament Game

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Whether you’re saddling up at the urinal, putting on a one-man show, or making your NBA postseason debut, stage fright can get the best of us.

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Just ask Charlotte Hornets rookie sensation Kon Knueppel, who suddenly forgot how to shoot in Tuesday’s Play-In Tournament win after a record-setting first season in the pros.

Knueppel came out ice cold from beyond the arc and couldn’t find his way in the offense, eventually getting the hook late in the game.

Our Hornets vs. Magic predictions won’t discount the Duke product too much in Friday’s Play-In finale but my NBA picks take a different way to wager on Knueppel’s contributions.

Hornets vs Magic prediction

Hornets vs Magic best bet: Kon Knueppel Over 2.5 Assists (-115)

The Charlotte Hornets’ star rookie had a rotten postseason debut, finishing 2-for-12 from the field, including a goose egg on six attempts beyond the arc.

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What’s more disappointing is that Kon Knueppel couldn’t find other ways to contribute and found himself on the bench in crunch time. He logged just six minutes in the fourth quarter — and an extra frame — on Tuesday.

While all eyes go to his chilly shooting performance, Knueppel also recorded just one assist in the OT win over the Miami Heat and generated only two potential assists over his 34 minutes.

On the season, Knueppel has averaged almost 3.5 assists on 6.3 potential dimes per game. Before the Play-In, he had dished out three or more assists in four of the final five games of the schedule, including two five-dime showings.

The Hornets need more from Knueppel than long-range chucks if they’re going to punch their ticket to the playoffs Friday. In the two most recent matchups with the Orlando Magic, Knueppel dished out four assists in each outing – both one-sided wins for Charlotte.

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With the Magic boasting one of the tighter perimeter defenses (33.8% – third lowest since the break) and the fourth lowest 3-point attempts against, Knueppel will find himself making the extra pass rather than letting it…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/hornets-vs-magic-prediction-picks-165700038.html

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Publish date : 2026-04-17 02:08:00

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