Walker's career-high 42 points not enough as Magic top Hornets

There's not much else the Charlotte Hornets could have asked of Kemba Walker on Saturday.

Walker tried his damndest to put the team on his back against the Orlando Magic, cruising past his previous career-high of 35 points to finish with 42. Those points came on 15-of-31 shooting, a 5-of-12 mark from long range and a 7-of-9 mark at the charity stripe, and he kicked in three rebounds, seven assists and a block for good measure.

Alas, he basically went it alone against the Magic, and the Hornets dropped their second consecutive game, by a final score of 102-94.

Outside of Walker, the Hornets' offense was woeful, combining to shoot an anemic 38.2 percent. The offense has once again begun to sputter in the team's back-to-back losses, following a four-game winning streak during which things appeared to be coming into place. The team still ranks just 25th in offense, with Walker's 17.3 points and 5.6 assists surely helping keep them out of the basement.

One spot below them in offensive efficiency are the Magic, who gained some ground in their unlikely chase for an Eastern Conference playoff spot with the win. The Magic are now 12-21, sitting ninth in the conference, sadly just three-and-a-half games behind the eight-seed.

The Magic continue to look solid with a new starting lineup that includes both sophomore guard Victor Oladipo and rookie guard Elfrid Payton. The Magic are 2-2 with those two starting together, with both losses coming by single-digits. Payton, in particular, looked good Saturday, scoring 11 points with seven rebounds and eight assists.