|
 Forward Al Horford paced a balanced Atlanta attack, and the Hawks
put away the Magic in a 98-81 win during a Martin Luther King Day
matinee at Philips Arena.
Horford led six Hawks in double figures with 15 points, and forward
Paul Millsap added 13 points and 12 rebounds. Point guard Jeff
Teague scored 14 points, including a layup and 3-pointer in the
third quarter that helped stave off an Orlando challenge.
Atlanta never trailed, shot 51.3 percent from the floor and
surrendered a season-low 81 points.
"I thought it was a pretty consistent effort, consistent defense
from our group," Budenholzer said. "At different times, the offense
wasn't as pretty. I think it's a good win for us."
Orlando was coming off an overtime loss to Toronto on Thursday in a
game played in London. The Magic looked sluggish from the beginning
of the 5 p.m. tip in Atlanta.
"We played sort of listless," Orlando coach Scott Skiles said.
Forward Aaron Gordon had 18 points off the bench to lead the Magic,
who have faded since a strong December. Point guard Elfrid Payton
added 16 points, and center Nikola Vucevic added 10 points and 11
rebounds for the Magic (20-20). Vucevic recorded his 16th
double-double of the season, but it wasn't enough.
The Hawks (25-17) won easily despite 17 turnovers. A strong effort
from the bench helped. Reserve forward Mike Scott scored 12 points,
and forward Thabo Sefolosha and center Tiago Splitter each added 10
points off the bench.
"The bench has been really good," Budenholzer said. "It was good to
see the starters play well, and I think the bench has been coming
with some great energy."
The Hawks controlled the first half and led 51-38 at halftime. The
Hawks' bench, sparked by eight points each from Scott and Splitter,
outscored the Magic's reserves 26-12 in the first half.
Orlando halved the deficit early in the third quarter with a pair of
3-pointers by Payton and one from guard Evan Fournier. However, the
Hawks answered quickly with 3-pointers from Teague and guard Kyle
Korver.
Orlando's surprising hot start has simmered in 2016. The Magic were
19-13 on Dec. 30, but they have lost three straight and seven of
eight overall. They have been hampered by injuries, especially in
the backcourt.
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"Our defense was terrible again," Skiles said. "(On offense) we were
doing a lot of catching and holding instead of beating people off
the dribble. Overall, we looked very slow out there on both ends.
When you do that against a team like that, you're going to get
beat."
Just as Payton returned from a four-game absence caused by an ankle
bone bruise, shooting guard Victor Oladipo sustained a knee sprain
and missed Monday's game. Without Oladipo, the Magic shot 34.5
percent from the floor.
"Effort-wise, altogether we just weren't there," Gordon said.
The Hawks head out for a four-game West Coast road trip, starting
Wednesday in Portland.
The Magic return home to face the Philadelphia 76ers on Wednesday.
NOTES: Orlando SG Victor Oladipo was inactive because of a knee
sprain. Oladipo was hurt while taking a charge in Thursday's game
against the Toronto Raptors in London. ... The Hawks are tied with
the Washington Wizards for fewest rebounds per game in the league,
averaging 40.4. ... Magic coach Scott Skiles, who has been battling
an illness, missed Sunday's practice, but he was with the team
Monday. ... Atlanta recalled G Lamar Patterson and C Edy Tavares
from the Austin Spurs of the NBA Development League. ... Magic PG
Elfrid Payton returned to the starting lineup for the first time
since Jan. 2 and scored a team-high 16 points. Payton, who missed
four games with ankle bruise, came off the bench in the Magic's loss
Thursday.
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