Thursday March 28th, 2024 7:55AM

Hawks hang on to beat Magic 112-109

By The Associated Press
ORLANDO, Fla. -- Paul Millsap had 24 points, Jeff Teague added 23 and the Atlanta Hawks hung on to beat the Orlando Magic 112-109 Wednesday night.

Atlanta opened a 19-point lead in the third quarter, but lost it the fourth before coming back to hit six free throws in the final 40 seconds for the win.

Seven players finished in double-figures for Atlanta, which has won two straight and has a day off before hosting San Antonio on Friday.

Victor Oladipo led Orlando with 24 points. Tobias Harris had 19 points and 12 rebounds, and Jameer Nelson finished with 17 points.

The Magic have lost 12 of their last 13, and fell to 1-14 this season without starting center Nik Vucevic, who continues to recover from a concussion.

The Hawks entered the game just 6-13 on the road, an issue that coach Mike Budenholzer said could be solved by showing more attention to detail and mental toughness.

They would need those attributes late against the Magic.

The Magic fell behind by as many as 11 in the first half, before trimming the Hawks' lead down to 60-59 in the opening minutes of the third quarter.

Atlanta responded by hitting nine of its first 16 shots in the quarter to ignite a 22-4 run that opened up a 19-point lead at 82-63.

But Orlando closed the quarter with its own 17-6 spurt and trailed by eight entering the final period.

The Magic's momentum continued in the fourth, and they took their first lead of the game, 93-92, on a dunk by Kyle O'Quinn.

They were leading 98-92 when they lost Doron Lamb, who fouled out after scoring seven quick points in the quarter.

With Lamb gone, Orlando got a little sloppy offensively and the Hawks closed to 102-100 on Shelvin Mack's layup with 3:47 to play.

After a pair of lead changes Atlanta went back in front, 110-109, on a pair of free throws by Pero Antic with 22.8 seconds to play.

Orlando got Glen Davis free for a short jumper that bounced off the back of the rim. Antic got the rebound, was fouled, and hit two more at the foul line with just 11.1 seconds left.

The Hawks never trailed in the first half and took a 60-56 lead into halftime.

Both teams shot above 50 percent in the half, but the Hawks held a 36-24 edge on scoring in the paint.

Atlanta also spread out its scoring, getting three players in double figures. Millsap led all scorers with 14 first-half points.

NOTES: Atlanta's Kyle Korver extended his NBA record to 110 consecutive games with at least one made 3-pointer. ... Orlando fell to 1-24 when its opponent scores 100 or more points. ... Vucevic missed his ninth straight game due to a concussion. Orlando coach Jacque Vaughn said he isn't sure where Vucevic is in the league's concussion protocol, saying only that "He's still in the doctor's hands."
© Copyright 2024 AccessWDUN.com
All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed without permission.