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Hawks Fall Flat in Orlando as Magic Take Control in Play-In Showdown
Man, what a rough night for the Atlanta Hawks. into the 7-vs-8 Play-In game, the stakes were clear: win and punch your ticket to the NBA Playoffs for a first-round date with the Boston Celtics. But instead of rising to the occasion, the Hawks just couldn’t keep up with the Orlando Magic, who brought energy, poise, and a whole lot of defense to the Kia Center in what turned into a commanding performance on their home court.
From the very first quarter, the tone was set. Orlando came out hot, led by Paolo Banchero doing a bit of everything—scoring, rebounding, facilitating—and the Magic defense just swarmed Atlanta. The Hawks were ice cold early, shooting under 40% from the field and struggling to generate any consistent offense. Trae Young, who’s usually the engine for Atlanta, had a particularly tough night. He couldn’t get into rhythm, hitting just 2 of his first 8 shots and ending the first half with a painful -21 in the plus-minus column. And when your star player is having that kind of game, it’s an uphill climb from there.
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By halftime, the Magic were firmly in control, thanks in part to their dominance on the boards and a suffocating defensive effort that made every Hawks possession a grind. Anthony Black and Jonathan Isaac stepped up big defensively, contesting everything and protecting the rim with a physicality Atlanta just couldn’t match. Even when the Hawks made little pushes, like a late dunk from Georges Niang or a three from Young to cut the deficit to 16 in the second quarter, it always felt like Orlando was just a step ahead.
And it wasn’t just about effort—Orlando’s execution was sharp. They moved the ball beautifully, assisting on nearly every made shot early on, and made sure to capitalize at the free throw line, especially with Banchero drawing contact and getting to the stripe repeatedly. The Magic’s size and discipline made it hard for Atlanta to find any breathing room.
Looking at the bigger picture, this loss puts Atlanta in a do-or-die situation. They’ll have to win the next Play-In game to grab the final playoff spot and face Cleveland instead of Boston. Sure, that’s not an ideal route, but it’s not over for the Hawks yet. Still, this one stings. They had a chance to control their destiny and simply came up short in just about every department—execution, energy, and even coaching adjustments. Going to a zone defense while struggling to rebound? That didn’t exactly help.
If there’s a silver lining, it’s that Atlanta has bounced back before. But they’ll need a much better version of Trae Young, more help from the bench, and a defensive mindset shift if they’re going to survive and move forward. As for the Magic—this team might be young, but they’ve got something real brewing. And tonight, they showed the league they’re ready to be taken seriously.
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