The Orlando Magic got a much-needed win Monday night at the Amway Center in Orlando FL. The Magic defeated the Atlanta Hawks 135 to 126 in a fast-paced high scoring game. The Magic were on a five-game home losing streak and the home crowd was looking for this win. The place was electric all the way to the end as the crowd stayed to take in the big win. One fan, Bob from Orlando, told me right after the game ended; “We needed this win, I needed this win” as he held his chest and let out a sigh of relief.
The first quarter set the tone for the game as the Orlando Magic came out aggressively. Markelle Fultz was getting in the lane and making the right play from the start. He had six points and two assist in eight minutes of the first. As he was not the only one as Aaron Gordon also came out with some aggression to get six points and three boards in the quarter. After the game I asked coach Clifford about the aggression;
On the other side, the Atlanta Hawks come into the game ready to play as well. Trae Young was indeed in his workplace as he had six points in the quarter. The surprise came from the bench as Brandon Goodwin also had six-point. He was also playing both ends of the floor and finished the quarter with a plus/minus of 12.
By the half, the game was 61-58 with the Hawks in the lead. Both sides came alive as the second quarter was filled with more offense. Mo Bamba and Terrence Ross came off the Magic bench to add firepower to their offense. For the Hawks, De’ Andre Hunter and Kevin Huerter got hot to help their offense. Therefore both teams were shooting at a good percentage with Atlanta shooting 53% and the Magic 48% for the half.
Orlando Magic close it out
The third quarter was filled with more offense as, five players ended the quarter in double figures, led by Aaron Gordon who was feeling it all night. The third ended with both teams flirting with 100 points. Normally when you see a high scoring game there is little defense, not in this case, both teams just could not miss. Each team shot over 50% through three. This was also the last game at the Amway Center by one-time Magic Vince Carter. He ended the game with nine points but the crowd was just happy to see him one last time.
The game came down to the end of the fourth quarter as both teams continued the offensive output. For Atlanta, their All-Star Young kept the Hawks in the game with 10 in the quarter. John Collins put in 11 of his 22 points in the fourth. Likewise, in the end, the Magic proved to be too much for the Hawks. It was an electric night where the offense took over and the Magic got the Home win.
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