Important Game for the Magic

Orlando, FL— In a tight race for the seventh seed in the Eastern Conference, the Magic came out and took care of business yesterday evening beating the Atlanta Hawks 119-112. 

Although the Eastern Conference has all four teams currently locked into the Play-In Tournament (Orlando, Atlanta, Miami, Atlanta) this game had the feel of a playoff-like matchup considering what was on the line for both teams. 

“Yeah this was a big win,” Kentavious Caldwell-Pope said. “But each game that’s left for us is going to be a big game for us to continue to move in the right direction — It’s a playoff game for us, and we wanted to treat it like such. And I think we did a great job of coming out with great energy, defending, and scoring the ball as well. 

Magic Defend Home Court

Orlando came into that game well-rested, having had four days off. Atlanta, on the other hand, was playing its third game in four nights. The first half featured seven ties and seven lead changes, and the Magic were able to get up by as much as 11 points before going into the halftime locker room up 66-57.

Since Christmas, the Magic have struggled coming out of halftime when being outscored in the third quarter where they’re 6-22 in such games. Orlando did a great job of setting the tone last night and not taking their foot off the gas pedal.

The Magic would maintain the lead for the remainder of the game as they would cruise to victory securing their third win in a row. 

Paolo and Franz Dominate

Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner were once again nothing short of sensational as they’ve now scored 20+ points in 11 straight games, setting the longest streak by a duo in Magic history. This streak is also the 2nd-longest (16) in NBA history by a duo age 23 or younger (Karl-Anthony Towns/Andrew Wiggins)

Wagner recorded 22 points, six rebounds, and six assists, and shot 8-of-20 (40%) from the field and 2-of-7 (28.7%) from deep. Banchero finished the night with 33 points, and 10 rebounds while shooting an efficient 12-of-24 (50%) from the floor and 2-of-5 (40%) from distance. Paolo has now been averaging 29.6 points and is third in the NBA in scoring since the All-Star Break only behind SGA and Jokic. 

“Obviously, Paolo is a really good player,” Trae Young said of Banchero. “He makes plays. Obviously tonight he was more efficient than he’s been in previous games…he had a great game tonight — But he’s a hell of a player.”

Orlando’s Depth

Wendell Carter Jr and KCP were huge contributors to the Magic coming out on top against the Hawks. Wendell Carter finished with 17 points, nine rebounds, six assists, and a career-high six steals. KCP had 15 points while knocking down three shots from downtown and forcing three steals defensively. 

“His presence. I don’t think there’s not a stat on here that says what his presence was on that floor,” Jamahl Mosley on WCJ. “When he plays with that level of dominance and aggression and focus and selflessness, he brings our whole team to a different level.” 

Final Numbers/Thoughts

The Magic, for the most part, was extremely efficient tonight as they shot 42-of-84 (50%) from the floor, 14-of-34 (41.2%) from behind the arch, and they assisted on 23 of their 42 made shots. Orlando will have to clean up the 14 turnovers that lead to 13 Atlanta points, and the poor shooting at the charity stripe 21-of-31 (67.7%).

For Atlanta, Trae Young finished with 28 points and 10 assists, Onyeka Okongwu had 30 points 14 rebounds, and chipped in three steals. Orlando did a great job of applying pressure all night long and forcing the Hawks into 18 turnovers. 

The Magic will be tested once again as they will play host to the Boston Celtics as both teams will come into tonight’s matchup on the second night of a back-to-back.