Even when the Magic trailed by eight at halftime, it really didn’t seem like there was a good chance that they were going to lose the game. In the third quarter, they outscored the Hawks 35-26 to take a one-point lead heading into the fourth quarter. In the final period, Orlando outscored Atlanta 28-15. Game over, 112-98.
Dwight Howard posted a 29-18 and hit 13-of-18 free throws. In fact, there were four Magic players with 20+ points: Vince Carter (24), Jameer Nelson (20) and Rashard Lewis (20) rounded out the quartet.
Al Horford had 24-10 for Atlanta, but Joe Johnson and Josh Smith combined for 11-for-31 shooting. That’s not going to get it done. The Hawks did hit 30-of-31 free throws, but it wasn’t enough to overcome their 41.5% shooting, especially when the Magic shot 55.9% from the field.
Atlanta is not going to win this series, folks.
Photo from fOTOGLIF
