Editor’s note: This is the first post from new Peachtree Hoops contributor Jackson Stone. We’re excited to have him on the staff and help with our coverage of the Atlanta Hawks.
The Atlanta Hawks completed a season sweep of the Orlando Magic on Wednesday evening with a dominant 130-101 victory over their Southeast divisional rivals on the road.
The Hawks came into this game with a clean bill of health and plenty to play for, with the Magic trailing them in the Eastern Conference playoff race by just 2.5 games heading into the matchup. In the first few minutes of this one, it was Orlando that came out with more intensity despite playing on the second night of a back-to-back, having defeated the Phoenix Suns in narrow fashion on Tuesday night.
Atlanta was stuck in mud for the first several possessions on offense, opening just 4-for-14 from the field, with frustrations mounting quickly as Orlando began a parade to the free throw line on the other end of the floor. Things reached a boiling point when reserve guard Buddy Hield inexplicably picked up a technical foul from the bench for arguing with the referees.
However, things started to pick up for Atlanta toward the end of the first quarter when the first bench players entered the game, including the newly acquired Jonathan Kuminga, who played his second straight excellent game for Atlanta, finishing this one with 12 points on an efficient 5-of-7 shooting, along with solid defense. Kuminga put pressure on the rim early and often for Atlanta, which loosened up the Magic defense and allowed the Hawks to find an offensive rhythm, trimming the lead to three by the end of the first period.
Once the second quarter began, the Hawks caught fire and quickly took the lead. Nickeil Alexander-Walker, who found himself on the bench earlier than usual in this one after picking up two quick fouls, overcame those troubles to torch Orlando for 22 points in the first half, including 17 in the second quarter alone.
In the frame, the Hawks’ key free agent signee hit the Magic with a barrage of three-pointers, quick crossovers, and impressive finishes at the rim.
He also made one of the plays of the season when he hit Magic star Paolo Banchero with a killer spin move and reverse layup that drew some oohs from the Orlando crowd and got the Hawks’ bench off its feet.
Overall, the Hawks ended up winning the second quarter by a score of 47-26, taking an 18-point lead into halftime. While some of this can be chalked up to favorable shooting variance on both ends of the floor, the Hawks did a much better job of getting into the paint and making Orlando’s defenders move their feet in the quarter, as well as pushing the ball in transition, as Quin Snyder has so often emphasized throughout the year.
On the other end, Atlanta played excellent defense, communicating well and largely forcing the Magic to stay on the perimeter, where they are among the worst teams in the NBA. In fact, at one point, the Magic had missed 19 consecutive three-pointers before the streak was finally broken by Desmond Bane in the third quarter.
“…for the most part, once we just were more disciplined on the ball and also off the ball, I think it took some of those driving lanes away and, and tried to keep (Banchero) out of the paint and then by the same token, you know, when we got out, we’re able to get in the paint and get some good looks and Nickeil obviously got hot, but he was getting good shots,” said Snyder after the game.
Magic forward Franz Wagner was also mostly a non-factor in his first game after missing nearly two months with an ankle injury.
The Hawks would only increase the lead coming out of the locker room for the third quarter, with big man Onyeka Okongwu quickly making an impact and forcing an early Orlando timeout.
Four minutes into the second half, the Hawks’ lead had ballooned to 31 points, and a chorus of boos began to rain down from the home fans in attendance.
Along the way, the bench continued to play well, and Dyson Daniels even got in on the action on the perimeter, knocking down a three-pointer for the second game in a row. The Hawks ended up taking a 102-76 lead into the fourth and final period, although the fireworks were just getting started in central Florida.
In a scary moment, Magic reserve big man Goga Bitadze ripped Hawks center Jock Landale down in a clear non-basketball play, which caused Landale to land awkwardly on his ankle. Hawks guard Dyson Daniels then shoved Bitadze, who ultimately was thrown out of the game after receiving a flagrant foul penalty two, with Daniels earning a technical foul for his role in the skirmish.
Landale initially limped back to the locker room but was able to return to shoot the two flagrant free throws before exiting once again and not returning.
In the fourth quarter, Orlando was able to trim the lead under 20, but the game was never in doubt, and Snyder was able to pull his starters with a few minutes remaining. In a fun scene, former Magic wing Caleb Houstan caught fire in the stretch run of the contest, torching his former team for nine quick points on three triples.
The Hawks ended up cruising to the 130-101 win, pushing their record to 44-33 on the season, and giving them their third straight victory overall. It’s officially the most wins the Hawks have recorded since the 2015-16 season, although they did have a higher winning percentage in the shortened 2020-21 season, in which they reached the Conference Finals.
Making matters more impressive for Atlanta was the fact that they reached the 130-point mark despite a quiet shooting night from CJ McCollum, who scored just nine points on 4-for-13 shooting, as well as Jalen Johnson, who shot below his average in terms of both points and field goal percentage.
However, Johnson once again played excellent defense on Banchero, holding the former All-Star to just 11 points on the evening.
“I thought JJ did a really good job after the first time out of really raising his level as well. The things that he’s doing on the offensive end. You know, he’s setting other people up, but on the defensive end tonight, I think the job that he did on Banchero was really good,” said Snyder.
The Hawks also demolished the Magic on the glass in this one, winning by a margin of 52-36 in that department. That area has been one of the major areas of concern for Atlanta throughout this season, but the Hawks have started to clean it up amid their hot streak, with Dyson Daniels emerging as one of the top rebounding guards in the league, particularly on the offensive end.
“We had some loose ball rebounds on both ends of the floor, and Dyson gets his hands on a lot of balls. He’s just got a nose for it, whether it’s on the glass or during play when he’s guarding the ball or off the ball. Something that, you know, he’s got great instincts,“ said Snyder.
Elsewhere in the NBA, the Hawks got some help on Wednesday, with the Boston Celtics demolishing the Miami Heat, and the Sacramento Kings springing an upset over the Toronto Raptors. That result gives the Hawks a 1.5-game cushion for the fifth seed in the Eastern Conference, with just five games left to go until the playoffs.
Overall, few if any could have predicted that the Hawks would be in this position less than two months ago, when the team was 26-30 heading into the All-Star break, fresh off their trade of Trae Young to the Washington Wizards. However, Atlanta has steadily climbed the ranks in the conference since then, with Alexander-Walker continuing his case for the Most Improved Player of the Year award, finishing with 32 points on Wednesday night, after dropping 41 on the Magic two weeks ago.
It’s also not fully off the table that the Hawks could reach as high as fourth place in the conference, with two games coming up against the Cleveland Cavaliers next week, who currently lead Atlanta by 3.5 games for that spot.
All in all, this was one of the best overall performances of the year from the Hawks, and the team showed impressive maturity in shrugging off their rough start to the game and coming back to dominate the way they did. Orlando had everything to play for in this one, trying to avoid a second straight trip to the play-in, and Atlanta still played like the more desperate team, hitting the floor for loose balls and getting around screens on defense instead of dying on them.
Of course, the Magic even at their full strength aren’t exactly a litmus test for NBA excellence. This team did lose by over 50 points earlier this week, after all. However, heading into this game, the Hawks were coming off an impressive home win over the Boston Celtics in relatively comfortable fashion, and they also knocked off the Detroit Pistons on the road last week.
For the first time in what seems like forever, the Hawks are now playing like a team fans can count on to deliver a consistent brand of basketball on a nightly basis, one defined by defense, high-flying transition opportunities, and savvy playmaking in the halfcourt. While they’re likely to start out the postseason on the road, and still haven’t fully wrapped up avoiding the Play-In Tournament, it’s been years since Hawks fans have seen their team jell this quickly, and at this opportune of a time.
Naturally, fans will call back to the 2021 season, when the team made their surprise run to the conference finals, a campaign that also featured a late-season surge up the standings and a first-round playoff matchup with the New York Knicks, which is very much on the table for later this month.
Still, this team’s defense and versatility make it seem to have a higher ceiling than even that beloved 2021 squad, especially as Jalen Johnson continues to blossom into a star player. The Hawks’ fourth quarter lapses in their recent games against the Celtics prove that Johnson still has a ways to go in learning how to deliver like a superstar player should in the clutch, but Atlanta still has a clear face of the franchise, who can stuff the stat sheet and make winning plays even on an off night, as was the case on Wednesday in Orlando.
Next up, the Hawks take the floor on Friday evening on the road versus the Brooklyn Nets.
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