The Atlanta Hawks snapped a three-game losing streak to beat the Orlando Magic at home on Sunday night. Before the game, Hawks fans received tough news. Trae Young will miss at least four weeks with a torn radial collateral ligament in the fifth finger of his left hand. Every Hawk must step up without their All-Star point guard on the floor.
Jalen Johnson woke up the State Farm Arena crowd early with an emphatic block on Wendell Carter Jr. The Hawks got an early 5-0 lead as the Magic struggled to score. Orlando started 1-7 from the floor but snapped out of the funk for a 7-0 run to take a 10-7 advantage. Without All-Stars Paolo Banchero and Young, neither team found a consistent offensive rhythm throughout the first frame. Franz Wagner hit two deep threes for 12 early points, but he was the only early double-digit scorer in the contest. Before the quarter’s end, Bruno Fernando muscled his way into the paint for a powerful dunk over Moritz Wagner to hype up the Hawks’ bench. The Magic took a 22-19 lead into the second quarter.
Kobe Bufkin made a nice read on the pick-and-roll for a Bogdan Bogdanović corner triple to start the next frame. When the offense was in a slump and Clint Capela struggled to finish around the rim, Head Coach Quin Snyder put Johnson at center. This decision ignited the Hawks’ offense, as they scored on the next four possessions. However, the Magic took advantage of their size with offensive rebounds. Carter bullied his way to the paint for second-chance points during this stretch. De’Andre Hunter continued his stellar play off the bench with nine early points leading his squad. “Hawks-killer” Caleb Houstan hit four corner threes before the half, giving the Magic a 51-45 lead at the break. The Hawks had a slow offensive start, but Atlanta flipped the switch coming out of the locker room.
Bogdanović drained two consecutive triples to start the third quarter, while the Magic missed their first three shots before Carter connected from downtown. The Hawks forced three early live-ball turnovers, and Johnson did what he does best- score in transition. He took the ball to the rack for a dunk and converted an and-one layup giving the Hawks a 63-60 lead. After a relatively quiet first half, Dejounte Murray sprung into action. He lit up the scoring column on a personal 10-0 run, including back-to-back corner threes. Atlanta extended their run to 18-1 at the end of the quarter to lead 83-70. Murray and Johnson scored 16 and 10 points, respectively, to outscore the Magic by themselves 26-19, and the Hawks put up 38 points in the quarter.
Cole Anthony converted from beyond the arc to stop the Hawks’ massive run at 21-4. The Magic would not go down without a fight, as they forced Atlanta into turnovers after the first few minutes in the fourth. They cut the Hawks’ lead to 98-88 on a 14-4 run led by Anthony and Jalen Suggs. When it looked like Atlanta lost its momentum, Anthony turned the ball over, and Saddiq Bey threw down a dunk to relieve Hawks fans. With the game winding down, Hunter used a filthy pass fake to give himself an open three from right-wing to put the Hawks up for good.
Murray totaled 25 points, 11 assists and nine rebounds in an explosive second half. After starting 0-6, Johnson finished strong with 21 points, 10 boards, seven assists and two blocks. Bogdanović and Bey added 17 and 12, respectively, while Hunter scored 18 (5-8 FG) and collected seven rebounds. Bufkin only scored two points but played excellent point-of-attack defense on the Magic’s guards.
For Orlando, Franz Wagner led the way with 19 points, and Carter posted an 18-point, 10-rebound double-double. Suggs dropped 14 points and six dimes, while Houstan’s four first-half threes were his only points of the night. Anthony got hot in the final frame to score 15.
There is a chance Young could miss the rest of this regular season. Bufkin will see more opportunities, while Murray will be leaned on heavily to carry the scoring load. Atlanta’s next game will be Tuesday night at State Farm Arena against the Utah Jazz; former Hawk John Collins returns as a visitor for the first time.
