The Charlotte Hornets (0-1) spent Wednesday night on the receiving end of a loss in a nail-biter against the Milwaukee Bucks, 113-112. It wasn't for lack of trying for veteran Kemba Walker, who put the the team on his back to the tune of 41 points and four assists, shooting 15-of-29 from the field and 7-of-13 from beyond the arc and draining all but one of his five attempts from the foul line. Malik Monk emerged off the bench to deliver 18 points, including four triples, while Jeremy Lamb and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist posted 10 points apiece, with the former adding four boards and going 4-of-6 from the free throw line. It was a game effort for a Hornets squad looking to improve on last season's 10th place finish in the Eastern Conference. Friday marks the start of a four-game road trip for Charlotte, one that sees them visit the Miami Heat and Toronto Raptors.

Wednesday also saw the Orlando Magic (1-0) take care of the visiting Miami Heat, 104-101, despite a lukewarm collective 28% shooting performance from deep. It was a team effort for the Magic, as six members of the roster finished the night with double-digit production, led by Aaron Gordon, who recorded a double-double on the back of a 26-point, 16-rebound outing, nailing four clutch three-pointers in the process. Evan Fournier finished the contest with 13 points and five assists to his credit, but was cold from deep, missing all five of his attempts from long range. Rookie Mohamed Bamba made a statement in his first regular season game as he played off the pine for 13 points and seven boards. Following Friday's game, Orlando will head off on a tough two-game East Coast trip with games slated against the Philadelphia 76ers and Boston Celtics.