Magic bully Hornets to advance to NBA playoffs: 3 takeaways from Orlando's blowout win

One team in Friday’s elimination game entered the season as a presumed Eastern Conference contender. The other was an afterthought.For the first time in a long time, both teams’ play fit those descriptions Friday night inside the Kia Center in Orlando.Riding a suffocating defense that set the tone from the opening tip, the Orlando Magic squashed the upstart Charlotte Hornets’ hopes of ending a decade-long playoff drought with a 121-90 victory in the Play-In Tournament. The win keeps alive what has largely been a disappointing season for Orlando, which oddsmakers had pegged for 50-plus wins following the acquisition of high-scoring guard Desmond Bane from Memphis.Advertisement