The Orlando Magic were in Atlanta tonight to take on the Hawks on the second night of a back-to-back after a tough loss to Boston in the Amway Center. After a hard fought battle the night before, the Magic looked determined to come out with a W. The game was back and forth with the Hawks busting big leads and the Magic battling back time and time again. Up until about the three minute mark in the fourth period, the game was close and hard fought on both sides, but Atlanta was able to run away with the game at the end as it seemed the cycle of the Hawks breaking a big lead continued, only this time the final buzzer sounded before Orlando had a chance to mount another comeback.
Magic forwards Glen Davis and Tobias Harris watched their team endure another painful loss from the bench as they remain sidelined due to injury and have yet to see the court this season. After a surprisingly hot start to the season Orlando has missed them both these past couple of games.
Jeff Teague led the way for the Hawks with 19 points and 13 assists, and Paul Millsap contributed with 18 points of his own. Also in this game, Kyle Korver surpassed Dennis Scott and tied Michael Adams for second place all time with most consecutive games with a three-pointer made at 79 games.
Magic Game Notes
Magic show resiliency
Even though the game ended with a second loss in two nights for Orlando, head coach Jacque Vaughn has instilled a culture of hustle and resiliency that bleeds through his players. This was shown time and time again in this game particularly as Orlando continuously battled back from deficits and never allowed Atlanta to run away with it until the final minutes.
Afflalo stays hot
Arron Afflalo has had a great start to the season and continued to play well in this game. He dropped 21 points to lead all scorers. He added seven assists on the night. He looks much more comfortable in the offense this year as he is scoring much more efficiently thus far.
Oladipo struggles
Rookie guard Victor Oladipo had a rough outing tonight in Atlanta as he couldn’t find a rhythm and had difficulty getting the ball through the rim. He mustered just five points on 25% shooting. On the bright side, it was impressive how the youngster handled his off night. Although he never got it going, Oladipo never hung his head and continued to push through the game, contributing any way he could. He pitched in on the defensive end and had a few hard drives to the basket. He was unable to find the line the way he normally does but never let off the gas nonetheless.
The Road Ahead
The Magic will next try to get revenge for Friday night’s loss when they take on the Celtics on Monday. However, this time the game will be held in the Boston Garden. The Hawks are also on the road as they will face off against the Bobcats in Charlotte.
Image courtesy http://www.flickr.com/photos/flc/
Leave a Reply
This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
