Hornets now win 13 straight over Magic with 125-100 victory on Monday

Kemba Walker scored 24 points in less than three quarters of action, and the Charlotte Hornets continued their mastery over the Orlando Magic with a 125-100 victory on Monday night. Walker followed up a 47-point performance in a loss at Washington on Saturday with another superb effort. He was 10 of 16 from the field with two 3-pointers. He scored 20 in the first half, then sat out the entire fourth quarter as the Hornets turned the game into a rout.

The Hornets have now won 13 straight over the Magic over the past four seasons, and they got their first win over former coach Steve Clifford. Clifford went to the Magic this season after coaching the Hornets the past five seasons. It was a costly win for the Hornets, however. Jeremy Lamb left the game with a strained hamstring late in the first quarter and did not return, and Cody Zeller suffered a fractured right hand early in the third quarter and did not return. The Hornets also got 21 points from Malik Monk. Zeller scored 14 and Marvin Williams, Willy Hernangomez and Devonte Graham scored 10 each. The Magic were led by Aaron Gordon with 14 points. Nikola Vucevic scored 12, Jonathan Isaac 11 and Terrence Ross 10.

The Magic, who were starting a six-game road trip, played without injured regulars D.J. Augustin and Jonathan Simmons. Both players are nursing ankle injuries. The Magic scored the first seven points of the game and led by 10 early. But the Hornets regrouped and dominated most of the quarter, leading 36-23 after one. The Hornets then led 63-53 at halftime and pushed the lead up to 18 at 95-77 after three quarters. The Hornets led by as many as 35 in the fourth quarter. The Hornets will host Dallas on Wednesday, while the Magic will travel to Chicago on Wednesday. 

(With inputs from agencies.)