Andrew Barnett is a young writer from Alabama. A lifetime music lover and enthusiast. He has been writing for years and has published several places ranging from AllHipHop.com to Raycom Media’s Digital Hub before joining WBTV. He writes about any and everything, from news and politics to music and sports, and is a lover of research and learning.<doc-sep>What: Charlotte Hornets (39-42) vs. Orlando Magic (41-40) When: 8:00 p.m. EDT Where: Spectrum Center; Charlotte, NC How to watch: ESPN, Fox Sports Southeast, NBA League Pass This is it. This is for all the marbles. 81 games have been played, but now this is the only one that matters. And how fitting that it comes against the man who coached this team for five years. The Hornets need to win tonight to give themselves a chance at making the postseason. That’s still a wild thing to say after some of the play we’ve seen this season, but here we are. They know they can beat the Magic; they’ve done it before. They can also lose to the Magic; they’ve done that too. None of the games in this series have been close. The Hornets won the first two meetings by 32 and 25 points. The Magic took the third game of the series with a 38 point margin of victory. None of it makes sense. Both teams come into this game hot. The Magic are winners of ten of their last twelve games, the Hornets winners of eight of eleven. The main difference between these two teams right now is the state of their playoff positioning. The Magic are already guaranteed a spot in the postseason. The only thing that can change tonight is if they end up the six seed or the seven seed. They may elect to play it safe with some of their key guys if they decide that seeding isn’t all that important to them. They’ll already be without Jonathan Isaac, who entered the NBA’s concussion protocol after getting hit in the jaw during Sunday’s win over the Celtics. He may be joined on the sidelines by All Star Nikola Vucevic, who was placed on the injury report today with a stomach virus. A Magic team down two starters would be a welcome sight for a Hornets team desperate for win. The Magic have been very good on both sides of the ball during their most recent strong run of play. They’re taking and making a healthy amount of 3-pointers, grabbing a hefty 30% of their offensive rebounding chances, and assisting on a Warriors-like 67% of their made baskets. Those are all things the Hornets struggle to deal with, so there’s definitely some concern there. The aforementioned ailments could help alleviate some of those concerns though. Just like last night, there is another game that bears equal importance to this one. The Pistons hit the road to take on the New York Knicks in a game that’ll help decide the Hornets playoff fate. The Hornets need the Knicks to beat the Pistons. The Knicks are the worst team in the league, but there’s some benefit there. They’ve already clinched the league’s worst record, meaning they have no more incentive to lose. They’re also winners of two straight (albeit against the Wizards and Bulls), so they’re riding the high of their third winning streak of the season. The Pistons pulled off a huge comeback against the Grizzlies last night, but they’re still playing bad basketball. It’s not impossible that they lose to the Knicks. It’s not likely, but it’s not impossible.<doc-sep>Would you believe it? We’ve finally arrived at the final week of the 2018-19 NBA regular season. Although they still need results in other games to go their way, the Charlotte Hornets can still make the playoffs. The playoffs are still possible because even without Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Marvin Williams, and Cody Zeller, the Hornets pulled off a 104-91 road win against the Detroit Pistons on Sunday afternoon. For James Borrego’s team, it’s a four-game regular season sweep of Detroit, who could’ve clinched a playoff spot had they won. The Hornets got the usual performance from Kemba Walker who had 31 points, eight rebounds, and seven assists. The Hornets also got nice games from Miles Bridges, Dwayne Bacon, and Jeremy Lamb. However, it was Frank Kaminsky who was a revelation once again as he scored a season-high 24 points. It’s his third straight game scoring 20 or more points and it happened at the most opportune time. Although the Hornets have fought valiantly to stay in the playoff chase, there is still a looming cloud over the team that’s been talked about all season. These last two games could be a turning point for the franchise with free agency on the horizon for Kemba Walker and Jeremy Lamb. Charlotte plays at Cleveland and at home against the playoff bound Orlando Magic to end the season. Knowing the Hornets results from the last few times they’ve played bad teams, the Cavaliers game is not going to be easy. Of course, the Magic are led by former Hornets head coach Steve Clifford and has ex-Charlotte point guards Michael Carter-Williams and D.J. Augustin. Surely, they’d love nothing more than to go on the road and end the Hornets season in game 82. Wouldn’t that be another cruel chapter for this organization? Even if the Hornets win out to end their season at 40-42, their playoff fate is still not in their control. The playoff clinching scenario is pretty simple for the aforementioned Pistons. All they have to do is win out because they still control their own destiny. Let’s be honest, if the Pistons don’t win against the Grizzlies and Knicks (their final two opponents), they shouldn’t belong in the playoffs and I’m sure that fan base agrees. The Miami Heat, another team looking to sneak into the postseason, lost in overtime to the Toronto Raptors on Sunday which supposedly dented their playoff hopes. Actually, it did not. Despite their loss, they’re still alive for the final playoff spot in the east because of the Hornets victory on Sunday. They would need to win their final two games, hope the Pistons lose their last two, and hope the Hornets lose one of their final two. For the Hornets, the simplest thing they could do to make the playoffs is win out and hope the Pistons lose one of their final two games. If the Pistons somehow lose out, the Hornets only have to win one of their last two games to get in. Because the Magic won on the road against the Boston Celtics on Sunday, the Hornets chances at a southeast division title ended. In addition to that, the Brooklyn Nets clinched the playoffs with a road win over the Indiana Pacers. All of this leads to the Hornets, Pistons, and Heat battling for the final playoff spot up for grabs this season. The Charlotte fan base has been divided all season on whether the team should’ve tanked (which was my stance, but it’s too late for that now) or made a run to sneak into the postseason. In the end, it has once again become playoffs or bust for the Hornets. All of the debates between Hornets fans on what they feel the team should do to make themselves better ends now. It’s now down to the players and coaches to figure how to go 2-0 this week. From there, they’ll have to see what the Pistons do. Their star player, Blake Griffin, gutted the game out against Charlotte when it looked like he shouldn’t have played. However, his bothersome knee injury played into his struggle and ultimately the Pistons struggle on Sunday. The Hornets did catch a break with that, but at this point teams need luck to make results happen. Jeremy Lamb has apparently become a nuisance to the Toronto Raptors out of the blue. As mentioned before, I have no clue who this version of Frank Kaminsky is because I’ve never seen it before. However, the most obvious thing of note is the play of Bridges and Bacon throughout this run. Coach Borrego giving them more minutes has seen them play with a lot of confidence since their run of consistent play began. Overall, there are a lot of factors to take into account for the final week of the regular season. The results of the Hornets last few games will have huge ramifications on the organization going forward. Now would be a good time to become a fan of the Memphis Grizzlies and/or New York Knicks because these two teams control the Hornets fate in what will be a wild week in the NBA.<doc-sep>By Matt Rochinski Thank you Charlotte Hornets! One month ago, not many fans might have expected the Hornets to still be in the Eastern Conference playoff race in the final game of the season, yet here they were on Wednesday night in Charlotte knocking on the door and needing a win against the Orlando Magic and a loss by the Detroit Pistons in New York against the Knicks in order to grab the No. 8 seed. Unfortunately, Charlotte fell 122-114 at Spectrum Center to the Magic and the Pistons beat the Knicks, 115-89, eliminating the Hornets from playoff contention as they closed the 2018-19 season at 39-43 overall. “We had 82 meaningful games this year where young guys got great experience, our team got great experience, we never hung our heads, we stayed resilient all season and put ourselves in a position to make the playoffs when nobody probably expected this,” Hornets Head Coach James Borrego said. “Now it’s about using this as fuel for the summertime and getting better. We were one game away from the playoffs this year. My challenge to the group next year is every game matters, every possession matters, every practice matters and we will value each game more appropriately next season.” To no one’s surprise it was Kemba Walker who tried to will his team to a victory in the final contest with a game-high 43 points on 16-of-25 shooting (64.0 percent) from the field , including 4-of-9 (44.4 percent) from outside the arc to go with five assists and two rebounds. It was Walker’s seventh game with 40+ points this season, tied for third most in the NBA with Anthony Davis (New Orleans) and Paul George (Oklahoma City). In a season filled with record-breaking performances and amazing feats from Walker, he also played and started in all 82 games this season. He is just the third player since 2008 (James Harden and LeBron James) to play all 82 games of a season and average more than 25.0 points and grab more than 5.0 assists per contest. “I love Kemba. I think he’s had an incredible season, the best season of his career,” Borrego said of the three-time All-Star. “I just looked at some numbers today and it was by far the best season of his career, highest usage, he’s been fantastic and a starter in the All-Star game. I love that kid. He inspires me. I love coaching him and I look forward to coaching him for many years to come. Obviously it’s a big summer for us but I believe in Kemba. I believe in that group and I think he was inspired by what he saw here down the stretch. Obviously we have some ways to go and I’ll address personnel stuff down the road. Now is not the time. I was just really proud of Kemba’s effort this season. He played 82 games and never asked for a night off when in most of this league you see guys not playing 82 games.” Walker also heard MVP chants from the crowd when he stepped to the free-throw line in the second half and received a standing ovation when he checked out of the contest with just a few seconds remaining. “It was special,” Walker said of the crowd’s reaction. “I give everything I have every single night, so for the fans to cheer me on, that was pretty cool.” Jeremy Lamb also finished the season strong, scoring 22 points, grabbing eight rebounds and dishing out two assists. This marked Lamb’s career-best 18th game with 20+ points this season. In a season full of buzzer-beating shots, Lamb gave many Hornets fans some lasting memories of the 30th anniversary in his best season as a pro. Charlotte’s young core, led by rookie Miles Bridges, helped complete a strong 8-4 close to the season that brought the Hornets back into contention. Bridges filled the stat sheet agains the Magic with 18 points, five rebounds, three assists, two steals and two blocks. He finished with 23 games scoring in double figures, with eight of those performances coming in the last 12 games of the season. “I didn’t really have expectations of him coming in,” Borrego said of Bridges. “I just wanted him to grow and what I can say is that Miles Bridges grew throughout the season. He became a starter for us. He belongs in this league. He belongs out there on that floor. He ignited us over these last two or three weeks and his ceiling is very high. I can’t wait to watch him work this summer and the first game you see him on the floor next year I think you’ll see a much different player because he’s going to work his tail off this summer. He understands what he needs to work on and he we have a lot of time before we tip off next season.” Second-year forward Dwayne Bacon (12 points) also scored in double figures for the Hornets, marking the seventh time in the final 12 games he did so. “I mean, we fell short, but we played some meaningful games, we got better at the end and gave ourselves a chance to even try to get into playoffs,” Walker said of the final stretch run. “That’s something you can definitely appreciate. I’m happy for the young guys who got a chance toward the end of the season. I don’t think anyone expected those to play the way they played. They stepped up big, so it was fun down the stretch.”<doc-sep>
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Kemba Walker's season is over with the Hornets. Now the question becomes whether the franchise's leading scorer and three-time All-Star is done playing in Charlotte for good. Walker can become a free agent in July. He offered little insight into whether he will be back after the Hornets were eliminated from playoff contention Wednesday with a 122-114 loss to the Orlando Magic on the final night of the regular season. "I'm not sure," Walker said. "I have a long time to even start thinking about that stuff. Me and my agent, my family, we will discuss that stuff when the time is right." However, Walker seemed to leave the door open to leaving, much more so than last September when he said at the Hornets media day that "this is where I want to be. I don't want to be nowhere else. I want to create something here." If this was Walker's curtain call in Charlotte, he certainly left Hornets fans with something to remember. He scored 43 points on 16-of-25 shooting to go along with five assists. "MVP!" chants for Walker started midway through the fourth quarter after he scored his 39th point. He left the game to a standing ovation with 1:06 remaining and received a hug from coach James Borrego. After the game, Walker spent extra time on the floor hugging people. "I love that kid," Borrego said of Walker. "He inspires me. I love coaching him, and I look forward to coaching him for many years to come. Obviously it's a big summer for us, but I believe in Kemba. I believe in that group and I think he was inspired by what he saw here down the stretch" playing alongside the team's younger players like Miles Bridges and Dwayne Bacon. For the Magic, it's on to the playoffs. Terrence Ross scored a season-high 35 points and Aaron Gordon added 27 for Orlando, which clinched the seventh seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs and will face the Toronto Raptors in the first round. The teams split the four-game season series. However, the Magic enter the post-season on a tear, winning 11 of its last 13 games and could prove to be a tough out in the post-season. "This is perfect man. Great timing," Ross said. "We couldn't ask for more in this position right now. It's about carrying that (over) and making sure we're ready to play." The Hornets entered the night needing a win and a Detroit loss to the New York Knicks to clinch the final playoff spot in the East. Aside from Walker, nothing went right for Charlotte. The Knicks, the worst team in the NBA, didn't put up much of a fight, losing by 26 at home to the Pistons in a game that was never close. Charlotte had its four-game winning streak snapped by the Magic. Orlando, which clinched a playoff spot earlier this week, shot 54.5 per cent from the field and got 18 points from D.J. Augustin. TIP-INS Magic: Outscored the Hornets in bench points 51-35. Hornets: Bridges didn't wait long to turn in the play of the game, soaring well above the rim for alley-oop dunk to give Charlotte and early 2-0 lead. Borrego said the rookie has a "high ceiling" and expects him to be a much better player next year. PARKER'S STREAK OVER The Charlotte loss means Tony Parker's string of 17 straight playoff appearances is over. Parker didn't have a say in the outcome and hasn't played in the team's last 13 games as Borrego elected to go with younger players. "That's hard to hear. That's hard to swallow," Borrego said of Parker's streak ending. "I couldn't be more thankful to Tony for what he gave us and gave me this season. He took a chance on me and this organization when he didn't have to but he believed in us. He gave us everything he had. He helped us on the court and off the court. Tony's footprint is all over this organization." LOCKING IN Orlando coach Steve Clifford said now it's time for his team to "lock into" studying Toronto in all phases of the game. "They know us well and we need to know them well, so it's having an offensive plan and defensive plan and everyone knowing what we are trying to do at both ends of the floor," Clifford said. UP NEXT: Magic: Will face Raptors in the first round of the playoffs. Hornets: Season over.