Hawks Clipped by Magic in Overtime at Kia Center
The Atlanta Hawks, with a record of 14-21, faced off against the Orlando Magic, standing at 21-16. In a game that extended into overtime, the final score read 117-110 in favor of the home team.
The Hawks started strong out of the gate with a solid first quarter, posting 28 points to the Magic's 32. The momentum continued into the second quarter as they added another 32 points to their tally. However, after halftime, their scoring dipped significantly to just 18 points in the third quarter while allowing Orlando to surge ahead with 34 points. The fourth quarter saw an uptick for Atlanta as they scored another 27 points but it wasn't enough to secure victory before regulation time ended.
Atlanta's performance was marked by notable statistics including ten blocks and nine steals which showcased their defensive efforts throughout the match. On offense, they managed an assist count of 21 and were able to convert on fast break opportunities with a high success rate of seventy-one percent resulting in fifteen fast break points.
Despite these efforts and leading for over eleven minutes during playtime with their biggest lead being nine points, it was not sufficient against Orlando's persistence. The Hawks' bench contributed twenty-three points but struggled from the free throw line making only fifty-nine percent of attempts.
Rebounding was one area where Atlanta excelled; they pulled down fifty-eight rebounds – eight offensive and fifty defensive – which is indicative of their control under both baskets. Their two-point shooting was efficient at fifty-four percent accuracy while three-point shots fell at thirty percent.
Orlando's resilience shone through as they led for nearly thirty-nine minutes and had a more substantial bench impact scoring twenty-seven bench points compared to Atlanta’s twenty-three. Their three-point shooting was particularly effective hitting forty-two percent from beyond the arc contributing significantly towards their win.
The upcoming game for the Atlanta Hawks will be on home turf against Philadelphia 76ers at State Farm Arena located in Atlanta on January 10th at 7:30 PM Eastern Time. Fans can catch this matchup live on BSSE channel six hundred forty-nine or NBCS-PH+ depending on their location.