The Hawks and Magic entered the night for their third matchup of the season. In their last meeting in Orlando, the Magic earned the win on a buzzer beating shot by Tobias Harris. The Hawks exacted their revenge tonight with a down to the wire win.
The Hawks arguably had their hottest quarter of the season in the first. They started the game being up 21-3 and were 6 of 6 from the three-point line. Four of those shots came from Paul Millsap who totaled 20 points for the game. Atlanta's first missed shot of the game came at the 7:30 mark of the first quarter. Orlando was able to get their inside game going and trimmed the deficit to 28-16 at the end of the period.
Atlanta went ice cold in the second quarter. They only totaled 14 points and were unable to find the open man which resulted in constant turnovers. It was down to single digits at 34-25 with 7:34 left in the period. The game was all tied up at 40 at the two minute mark. Victor Oladipo and Nikola Vucevic were efficient inside the paint and helped the Magic dominate on the offensive boards. Orlando received their first lead of the game since it was 3-2 in the first quarter, and it was now at 43-42 with 45 seconds left in the half. The Magic would go into halftime leading, 45-42, after erasing an 18-point deficit.
The Hawks made the necessary halftime adjustments and dominated the third quarter. They regained the lead at 47-45 at the 10:50 mark off of a Millsap jumper. Jeff Teague was scoreless at halftime but put up seven quick points to start the period. Atlanta was able to get a little bit of breathing room off of a Kyle Korver three ball that put the Hawks up, 61-56, with 5:45 left. A pair of Al Horford free throws made it 64-58. The Magic was able to regain their strength inside the paint and trimmed the deficit to 64-62 with 3:20 left. A DeMarre Caroll three pointer and a bucket by Al Horford extended the lead to 74-67 with 25 seconds left in the period. Atlanta entered the fourth quarter with a 76-67 lead.
The Hawks started the final quarter 0 for 6, but Orlando could not take advantage. Jeff Teague was able to extend the lead and make it 80-73 with 6:30 left in the game, and Kent Bazemore tacked on a three to make it a ten-point game. Orlando was able to get a few stops, and it was a 87-84 game in a blink of an eye off of a Tobias Harris three pointer with two minutes left. Jeff Teague came through with a clutch layup to make it 91-86 with 44.4 seconds left. An Al Horford put-back slam soon extended the lead to 93-86 for Atlanta. A pair of Kyle Korver free throws sealed the lead for the Hawks. The Magic gave the Hawks trouble late in the game once again, but Atlanta squeaked out a 95-88 win. Nikola Vucevic led all scorers for Orlando with 21 points and Paul Millsap had 20 for Atlanta.
The Hawks are now running a three-game winning streak Their recent 19-game winning streak started with a road win in Milwaukee and the same situation is occurring in this streak. They will take on the Heat in Miami on February 28th. Atlanta leads the season series 2-0 against Miami. The Hawks currently stand at 46-12. The Magic slip to 19-41 and will face the Charlotte Hornets at home on March 1st.