Like pulling off a band-aid I’m getting this over with quickly: the Hawks beat a no magic Orlando by 130-109, a score that flattered Orlando. For a Magic fan it was a hard watch as the defence faltered and Trey Young got his way all evening.
The Orlando Magic had no answer to the hot shooting of the Atlanta Hawks. At the half Atlanta had a 19 point lead, which they easily extended further. Orlando are better than that performance. The Hawks shot 50% from the field over all and 54.5% from the three. That was the killer statistic as turnovers, rebounding, blocks and steals were all relatively well matched.
Young with 22 points did not lead the Hawks in scoring, that honour went to Bogdan Bogdanovic with 23 points. They were amongst the 7 Atlanta players who had double-digit scoring.
Magic Top Performers
Cole Anthony was pretty efficient offensively. He led the team with 23 points and 5 assists.
Jalen Suggs played again at pace all night. He push the ball fast down court whenever it was in his hand. He contributed 14 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists and a steal.
Wendell Carter Jr finished with 10 points and 10 rebounds for his 25th double-doubles on the season so far. He also added 6 assists.
Franz Wagner got the full focus of the Atlanta defence. His 12 points was his 50th double figure scoring game 60 played.
Mo Bamba recorded 11 points.
Magic Starting Lineup – Cole Anthony (PG), Jalen Suggs (SG), Franz Wagner (SF), Wendell Carter Jr (PF), Mo Bamba (C)
Magic Bench Unit – Gary Harris, Chuma Okeke, Terrence Ross, Admiral Schofield, Ignas Brazdeikis, Robin Lopez (DNP)
The Magic Season
Orlando has a record of 13 wins and 47 losses, dropping back to last in the Eastern Conference. Over the last 10 games played the Magic have won 3, losing the last 4 straight. The home record stands at 5 wins of 26 games played, whilst on the road it is 8 wins in 34 played. In points per game the Magic are scoring 103.3 whilst conceding 112. The efficiency rating for Orlando remains 28th on offence and dropped to 23rd defensively.
Moving On After The Hawks Beat A No Magic Orlando
We are into the All-Star Weekend break now for Orlando.
Cole Anthony, Jalen Suggs and Franz Wagner all travel to Cleveland to take part in the Rising Star games. Cole is also part of the Slam Dunk contest. There will be a post about All Star and Magic involvement coming out soon.
Once the NBA season resumes Orlando will play the Houston Rockets on Friday 25th February in the Amway Center. Houston are last in the Western Conference with a 15-42.
If you want to read Josh Cohen’s game review after the Hawks beat a no magic Orlando it is available on the Orlando Magic website.
