Orlando Magic continue their dominance over the Atlanta Hawks with 93-89 win
The Orlando Magic (5-1) remained unbeaten at home after defeating the Atlanta Hawks (6-2) 93-89 on Monday 8 November at the Amway Center in Orlando. The Magic earned their fourth-straight
win last night while the Hawks have now lost two straight after going 6-0 to start the season.
Dwight Howard, the reigning Eastern Conference Player of the Week, finished with a robust double-double of 27 points and 11 rebounds while Vince Carter went 8-12 from the field for 19
points. Brandon Bass was third in scoring for the Magic, finishing with 11 points off the bench.
As is their tendency, the Hawks got some balanced scoring from their roster with four players scoring in double-figures. Joe Johnson had a team-high 23 points while Al Horford and Josh
Smith finished with 16 and 13 points, respectively. Smith grabbed a game-high 13 rebounds while the Hawks got solid production from last year’s Sixth Man of the Year Jamal Crawford, who finished with 14 points.
The two teams were meeting for the first time since the Magic swept the Hawks in the Eastern Conference semifinal last season. With Orlando winning the four games by an average margin
of 25.3 points, it was the most lopsided play-off series in the history of the NBA. Having dropped last night’s contest, the Hawks have now lost 11 of their past 12 games against the Magic.
But last night’s contest was much closer than their latest play-off series. With Howard in early foul trouble, the Hawks went up by 13 in the first quarter but a furious 19-2 run by the
Magic gave them a 51-47 lead heading into halftime. With the Magic up only two points entering the fourth quarter, it was Carter who sealed the win for Orlando. Carter scored five points in the final 1:12 of the game, following up a layup with a three-point
play to clinch the game.
What they said
After the game, Howard said his team approached this game like they would any other.
"Nothing's changed," he said. "It's not just about showing them who we are. We know who we are. It's for us to come out every night and play championship basketball."
Numerous Magic players showed a lot of hustle when they went on their 19-2 run in the first half. Orlando coach Stan Van Gundy said it’s that kind of fight his team needs to contend for
a title this year.
"I thought we had a couple of unbelievable dives at one point where we came up with the ball," he said. "Those are the kind of plays if you're going to talk about being a contending team
that you're going to have to do to win games."
The Magic may hold a psychological edge over the Hawks given their tremendous success against the team. But new Atlanta coach Larry Drew said his team can beat anyone.
"As I told our guys, 'Let's not look at this loss as a moral victory,'" he said. "We've always felt in our hearts all along that we were capable of playing against any team."
Tags: