CHARLOTTE, N.C. _ The Orlando Magic have faltered on defense for most of the last month. Those struggles have centered around poor ball containment, subpar marking in transition and an overall lack of toughness and physicality.
But the Magic did a lot of things well Monday night against the Charlotte Hornets. The Magic held the Hornets to 40.5 percent shooting from the field and 17.6 percent shooting from beyond the arc.
There was one significant problem, though: The Magic kept sending the Hornets to the free-throw line.
Hampering themselves with a significant free-throw discrepancy, the Magic lost to the Hornets 104-94 at Spectrum Center.
Charlotte went 33 of 40 from the foul line, while Orlando made 12 of its 14 attempts.
Getting to the line is one area where the Hornets excel. They entered Monday first in the NBA in free-throw attempts, averaging 28.7 per game.
A turning point occurred early in the fourth quarter _ and it involved free throws.
Charlotte led 79-76 when Michael Carter-Williams stole the ball, sparking a fast break that ended with a dunk by Frank Kaminsky. After the ball went through the hoop, Magic big man Marreese Speights shoved Cody Zeller, and Zeller fell quickly to the ground.
After an instant-replay review, Speights was whistled for a Flagrant-1 foul, and as a result, the Hornets received two free throws followed by possession. Zeller made both foul shots. On the ensuing possession, Wes Iwundu fouled Jeremy Lamb, and Lamb sank both free throws.
The Hornets suddenly led 85-76.
No Hornets player inflicted more damage than point guard and longtime Magic tormentor Kemba Walker, who scored a game-high 29 points and made all 14 of his season-high 14 free-throw attempts.
The Magic trailed the Hornets 74-63 late in the third quarter, but the Magic regained momentum by closing the quarter on an 11-1 run.
Evan Fournier ignited the run with a driving reverse layup. On the Magic's next trip down the floor, Fournier made a pinpoint pass to Elfrid Payton as Payton cut through the lane, allowing Payton to score on a layup.
Iwundu also provided a boost. He found Bismack Biyombo with a pocket pass, resulting in a dunk by Biyombo. A short while later, D.J. Augustin sank a pair of free throws to cut Orlando's deficit to 75-74.
The Magic (10-15) have struggled against the Hornets (9-13) in recent seasons.
Monday's defeat extended the Magic's losing streak to the Hornets to nine games, the Magic's second-longest active losing streak to a specific opponent.
Orlando started Monday well.
Early in the second quarter, Speights sank a 3-pointer from the top of the arc. After a miss by Zeller, Augustin followed with a 3-pointer of his own. Following a miss by Carter-Williams, Augustin pump-faked on the perimeter, drew a foul from Carter-Williams and made the three subsequent free throws.
When Kaminsky missed a long step-back jumper, Arron Afflalo sliced through the lane, spun and made a layup.
The 11-0 run put the Magic ahead 34-26.
That momentum was short-lived.
The Hornets closed the half by outscoring the Magic 28-11.
The Magic struggled over that final stretch offensively, making just five of their 15 shot attempts and seven different players committing one turnover apiece.
The Hornets' offense also built some momentum. With Walker scoring eight points and dishing out two assists, the Hornets went 7 of 15 from the field but also 14 of 14 from the free-throw line.
The Hornets won even though their coach, Steve Clifford, had to remain home because he was sick. Stephen Silas, the team's associate head coach, took Clifford's place on the sideline.
