Hornets vs Magic Takes a Bizarre Turn With Latvian Star’s Antics as Charlotte Trailed by 35 at Half

The Charlotte Hornets are getting decimated on the road by the Orlando Magic. The Hornets have been one of the less effective teams in the league this season, and their misery continues tonight. With a score of 67-32, they trailed the Magic by 35 points by the end of the first half. To add to Charlotte’s problems, their Latvian star, Davis Bertans, got ejected from the game after delivering a nasty blow to Jalen Suggs.

Bertans got penalized with a Flagrant 2 foul after he elbowed Suggs in the face during the second quarter. The Orlando crowd gasped after witnessing the Latvian star’s antics while the officials replayed the play to assess the foul. Bertans played only 9 minutes and went scoreless before getting booted from the game.

That is a massive blow for the already struggling Hornets, considering his decent run for the team. He got traded to Charlotte from OKC at last month’s midseason trade deadline as part of the Gordon Hayward package. The Hornets received Davis Bertans, Tre Mann, Vasilije Micic, and two second-round draft picks in exchange for Hayward. Bertans has averaged 9.1 points and 2.1 rebounds in the 15 games he has played for the Hornets. However, that number will go down following his scoreless ejection from tonight’s game.

The Hornets had a humiliating first-half performance against the Magic. No player apart from rookie Vasilije Micic scored in double digits. Micic tried to keep the Hornets afloat with his 18-point half but to no avail. It will be nearly impossible for a LaMelo Ball-less Hornets to make a comeback in the second half following Bertans’ ejection.

Will LaMelo Ball make a return this season?

Charlotte has struggled this season because their best player, LaMelo Ball, has been out of action for nearly two months. He missed his 26th straight game tonight, dealing with a right ankle injury. LaMelo last suited up for the Hornets on January 26th against the Houston Rockets. It is still uncertain when the former All-Star will return to action, but recent reports suggest he is making good progress. Hornets head coach Steve Clifford recently said, “Melo’s doing more and more. He had a good workout today, and did some live. I feel like he’s getting closer but not quite there yet.”

However, the Hornets might decide to sit LaMelo out for the rest of the season since they are nowhere close to making the playoffs this year. The Hornets are 13th in the Eastern Conference standings with a 17-51 record. And they will likely add another loss to their column tonight.

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