UNC Basketball: Cole Anthony shines again in losing effort to Hornets

Former UNC basketball standout Cole Anthony performed admirably in Orlando’s Friday night loss to the Charlotte Hornets.

Orlando Magic rookie point guard Cole Anthony continued his hot play in a 122-112 loss to the Charlotte Hornets on Friday night.

The former Tar Heel scored 22 points en route to his 14th double-digit scoring performance out of 17 since returning to the Orlando lineup on April 7. He’s now playing the best basketball of his young career despite missing considerable time mid-season with a non-displaced fracture of the right first rib.

He hit 7-of-15 shots against the surging Hornets, along with 2-of-5 from three-point range and 6-of-6 at the free throw line. He also recorded two blocks and one assist while turning the ball over just twice in 29 minutes of play.

It was Anthony’s second 20-point performance in his last four games after scoring a career-high 26 against the Memphis Grizzlies last Saturday. He’s averaging 5.3 rebounds and 3.8 assists per game during that stretch, and shooting 50 percent from beyond the arc (7-for-14). Equally as impressive is his accuracy from the charity stripe during that time, which is a staggering 89.4 percent (17-for-19).

Throw in a number of highlight reel plays and the game-winning shot that he knocked down during his aforementioned career night against the Grizzlies, and it appears that the Magic have gotten the Cole Anthony that they were hoping to get when they drafted him 15th overall in the 2020 NBA Draft.

Check back with Keeping It Heel for all the latest on Cole Anthony, and the UNC basketball program.