Orlando Magic make a statement with 102-73 drubbing of Atlanta Hawks
The Orlando Magic extended their winning streak with Brandon Bass and Dwight Howard leading the way to a 102-73 victory over the Atlanta Hawks.
The power forward, Bass, had 17 points and eight rebounds on the night while Howard got 14 points with 13 rebounds. Adding to Bass and Howard were Jameer Nelson and Vince Carter, who scored 17 and 13 points
respectively.
Magic coach Stan Van Gundy attributed the win to the Magic’s intensity and will to win.
“What’s getting us through is our intensity. Our intensity is very high. We’re playing tougher than we were a year ago.”
But Van Gundy was not completely satisfied with the Magic’s performance, pointing to their offence as a key weakness that must be remedied.
“I think our defence right now is far ahead of our offence. I’m not trying to be negative. We’ve just got to go to work.”
Key players for the Hawks were Josh Powell and Joe Johnson who scored 13 and 11 points respectively. Josh Smith, who is consistently above league average in scoring, rebounds and assists had an off night,
scoring eight points in 27 minutes of play and telling reporters after the game, “Guys around here are pretty confident and our jump shooting was shocking.”
Despite the defeat Smith looked on the game as a learning experience.
“This is a game we can definitely learn from. They’ve (Magic) been having statement games every game.”
Setting a trend
Indeed, the Magic’s record in the pre-season is a perfect six wins and zero losses, thanks to a roster that many other teams would die for. The dilemma that besets any opposing team of the Magic is to
shut down the all-star Howard while still keeping check on the many other capable shooters that fill the Magic’s roster.
The Magic’s win last night is a painful reminder of the dismal record of the Hawks when facing the Orlando. In the past nine regular season games played against the Magic, Orlando has come out on top in
eight of them with an average winning margin of 23 points. The game last night, albeit an exhibition match, reinforced the Magic’s superiority over the Hawks who are now tied with Philadelphia for worse pre-season record in the East.
After the match Atlanta’s Josh Smith commented on their strategy in Monday’s game.
"I don't see them fearing us at all. That means we have to go back to the lab," he said.
The Hawks struggled both defensively and offensively against the Magic. The centers found themselves in foul trouble and the speed of the Magic as well as their ball movement caught the Hawks on their
heels. Offensively the Hawks struggled, shooting 24 of 78 from the field.
The strength and depth of the Magic roster combined with the poor man coverage and shot percentage of the Hawks translated to an expected blowout win for the Orlando Magic.
The Magic’s next game will be against the Dallas Mavericks Wednesday while the Hawks are set to play the Miami Heat on Thursday.
Tags: