Hawks Fizzle Out in 4th vs. Magic

After an extremely quiet trade deadline after lofty expectations for roster overhaul were not met, the Atlanta Hawks lost an ugly game to the Orlando Magic 100-98.

This was a tight game throughout and the teams traded leads seven times in the 4^th quarter until a decisive 10-2 spurt by the Magic put it out of reach.

The Hawks hung in there, though, and were buoyed by two clutch three-pointers from Taurean Prince and one from Dewayne Dedmon.

It was not enough, however, as Atlanta’s irrevocably poor interior and transition defense allowed the Magic – who looked pretty checked out as a team – to win this one going away.

The Hawks were outscored 44-36 in the paint, which was substantial, but they were completely obliterated by the Magic’s transition offense, in which Orlando outscored the Hawks 20 to 3. Not good.

Another area where the Hawks were let down was free throw shooting. In a game the Hawks lost by 2, Atlanta left 6 free points wilting at the free throw line by shooting 12 of 18 overall. By comparison, the Magic shot a lights-out 19 of 22 from the charity stripe, a seven-point swing that would’ve made all the difference in this close game.

Individually the Hawks had some solid performances, though none could match Evan Fournier’s somehow unstoppable offensive skills. Fournier scored 8 points in the game’s final 2:39, providing a solid cushion that the Hawks could not overcome.