A Hornets-Magic game just before the All-Star break may not seem like a must-watch event, but Hornets announcer Eric Collins always brings a touch of excitement to the broadcast, particularly when things get a bit “kooky.” It all unraveled with mere seconds left in the first half of Wednesday night’s game when Orlando’s Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Charlotte’s Nick Smith Jr. clashed. Both players earned technical fouls, but KCP escalated the situation with his comments, leading to a second technical and a quick ejection.
The drama continued as the halftime buzzer sounded; Smith grabbed a rebound and tossed the ball towards Orlando’s Goga Bitadze, which resulted in his own ejection for a second technical foul. Collins reacted explosively, known for his animated commentary reminiscent of Kevin Harlan calling Kawhi Leonard’s iconic buzzer beater for the Raptors against the Sixers.
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope gets ejected and Nick Smith Jr. follow suit shortly after to end the 1st half.
Eric Collins, the Hornets’ commentator, is getting really excited. pic.twitter.com/xLaBnfVSJu— MrBuckBuck (@MrBuckBuckNBA) February 13, 2025
“OH! Another ejection! Who got ejected now?!? Nick Smith Jr. got ejected! Oh my goodness, this is getting kooky,” Collins exclaimed, highlighting the chaos of the moment. While it may appear that Smith threw the ball at Bitadze, it was actually more of a toss in his general direction, with the previous altercation with Caldwell-Pope clearly impacting the officiating. Just imagine if Eric Collins had been around during the Bad Boy Pistons era; it would have provided an incredible spectacle.
Despite the excitement, the Magic easily defeated a LaMelo Ball-less Hornets with a final score of 102-86.
