The Atlanta Hawks won a gritty, defensive battle over the Orlando Magic, 112-106, on Monday on the road. Both teams struggled to take care of the ball in this one. Atlanta had 16 turnovers, while the Magic committed 17. Ultimately, the Hawks’ team-ball approach prevailed, collecting 29 assists on 37 made field goals.
It was the Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner show for Orlando. Their star wings scored 31 and 37 points, respectively. Banchero had 20 of the Magic’s 25 points in the third quarter, shooting 4-6 from deep and 7-12 from the field. Wagner tallied 20 points in the first half on 8-12 from the field. However, Orlando did not have a double-digit scorer outside of their two stars. Banchero took 22 shots, and Wagner attempted 29; the next-highest was six shots from Anthony Black.
In contrast to Orlando’s offense, no one scored over 19 points for the Hawks, even though each player scored at least eight. Trae Young led the way with 19 points and eight assists but turned the ball over nine times. The recently named All-Star and Eastern Conference Player of the Week scored 15 points in the second half after making just one shot from the field in the first. Caris LeVert provided a big spark off the bench for 18 points and eight rebounds. His ability to put the ball on the floor and attack the rim is critical for Atlanta’s offense, particularly when Young goes to the bench. Terance Mann added 12 points and made all four of his shots from the field. After both guys were quiet in their Hawks debut against the Wizards, they put their stamp on this game in a big way.
Atlanta fell behind going into halftime when the Magic closed the second quarter on a 20-6 run. Orlando shot 12-15 from the field in the frame to go up 57-50 at halftime. However, the Hawks fought back in the third frame. They scored 33 points and took a four-point lead after a 10-3 run. Unfortunately for the Hawks, Larry Nance Jr. and Vít Krejčí both went down with injuries early in the fourth quarter. Nance hurt his knee driving to the paint when Wagner stuck his leg out to stop him, and Krejčí fell hard off the rim on his lower back after Jonathan Isaac recklessly contested his and-one dunk. Both players were ruled out for the rest of the game. Hopefully, neither player misses extended time, but Nance could not put any pressure on that right leg going back to the locker room.
The Hawks will travel to take on the New York Knicks on Wednesday- their final contest before the All-Star break. Atlanta looks to go into the break with four straight victories.
