Soaring Down South
Fansided

Hawks Beat Magic, Drop to 3rd-Best Lottery Odds

By Chris Guest

OAKLAND, CA - MARCH 23: Head coach Mike Budenholzer of the Atlanta Hawks looks on against the Golden State Warriors during an NBA basketball game at ORACLE Arena on March 23, 2018 in Oakland, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
OAKLAND, CA - MARCH 23: Head coach Mike Budenholzer of the Atlanta Hawks looks on against the Golden State Warriors during an NBA basketball game at ORACLE Arena on March 23, 2018 in Oakland, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
1 of 2
Next

In one of the biggest double-tank games of the year, the Atlanta Hawks hosted the Orlando Magic at Philips Arena and handily defeated them due to a roundly disinterested effort from Orlando with a few exceptions.

The Hawks were great in the 1st half, zipping the ball around with tremendous precision. The team really looked like it was running a new and improved version of Coach Bud-ball – the system which led to the 60-win juggernaut team of 2014-15, which was predominantly focused on finding the open, hopefully for an open three-pointer.

Overall, the Hawks had 33 total assists on 41 made field goals – an impressive percentage for a team that had been getting bogged down in isolation exploits in recent games.

That energy fizzled slightly in the second, when the Magic came out of the gate with a strong effort to start the 2nd half and cut the Hawks’ lead to 5 – after the home team had led by as many as 15 in the 2nd quarter.

More from Soaring Down South

Despite only scoring 13 points in the 3rd quarter, the Hawks still took a lead into the 4th and were able to shut the door with some timely scoring as well as, frankly, a putrid, tank-focused performance from some of the Magic’s players. Though rookie Jonathan Isaac seemed to be putting forth consistent effort alongside seasoned veteran D.J. Augustin, most of the other Magic personnel were uninspired to play very hard.

In that regard, this game must be chalked up as a success for the Magic’s tank, as they pull within a half-game of the Hawks for the third-best lottery odds and only one game out of the loss column. This victory for the Hawks tied them in wins with the Magic.

Of course, as we have stated, it’s not all about the tank for the Hawks right now and losing to this cadaverous Magic team would’ve left a bad taste in the mouth for everyone in Philips Arena. A suitably throaty roar echoed throughout the stadium as Tyler Dorsey dribbled out the clock for the win, so those fans certainly didn’t seem incensed by their basketball team winning a game in early April.

There were also some exciting individual performances in this game for Atlanta, notably led by the rookie Dorsey.

Home/Hawks News