Hawks-Magic Preview

By NOEY KUPCHAN
Posted Dec 12 2012 10:38AM

After splitting meetings against two of the better teams in the NBA, the Atlanta Hawks have to be feeling pretty good about their chances of coming away with a winning record on their three-game trip with a visit to Orlando in store.

The Hawks aim for an eighth consecutive victory over the Magic, who try to avoid losing four in a row at home for the first time in five years Wednesday night.

Atlanta (12-6) beat Memphis 93-83 on Saturday but couldn't keep up two nights later in a 101-92 loss at Miami. Josh Smith scored 22 points while Al Horford posted his sixth consecutive double-double with 20 points and 11 rebounds, but the Hawks allowed the Heat to shoot a season-best 58.2 percent.

"We faced two of the top teams in our league in Memphis and Miami and we came away with a split," coach Larry Drew said. "A great road trip would have been to go 3-0, a good road trip is to go 2-1, so our focus right now is to make this a good road trip and hopefully we can get that done (Wednesday) night."

The Hawks have had their way with the Magic (8-12) of late, holding them to an average of 79.3 points during their seven-game winning streak - the longest by either team in the history of this series. Atlanta beat Orlando 81-72 on Nov. 19, scoring 24 points off 19 turnovers.

"I thought we did a really good job of controlling the tempo (in that game)," Drew said Tuesday. "Same ingredient needs to be (there Wednesday) night.

"This Magic team, they really play hard. ... Very capable ball club. We have to just come out and just focus on us and what we need to do."

After going 3-2 on its own trip, Orlando returns home, where it's been outscored by an average of 13.0 points during its skid. The Magic haven't been handed four consecutive losses on their own court since December 2007.

Orlando beat the Los Angeles Lakers and Golden State before falling to Utah and Sacramento out west. The Magic bounced back Sunday with a 98-90 win over Phoenix.

They fell behind early but picked up the pace in the fourth quarter, going 11 for 17 (64.7 percent) from the field.

"I really looked at this game as an individual game. This is a resilient team tonight," said coach Jacque Vaughn, whose club shot a season-high 51.9 percent. "To culminate with 3-2 on the road. A resilient group especially after our start. We could have easily packed it in and went home."

Orlando matched a season best with 49 points off the bench Sunday. J.J. Redick scored 20 while rookie Andrew Nicholson posted season highs of 19 points, nine rebounds, four steals and three assists.

"He is a scorer," Vaughn said of Nicholson, who could be in line for a bigger role going forward. "He can do that so we are going to continue to work on other facets of his game and make him the best player he can be."

While the Magic continue to play without injured veterans Al Harrington and Hedo Turkoglu, Atlanta's Kyle Korver could return Wednesday following a five-game absence due to back spasms and the birth of his first child. Korver has averaged 17.0 points over his last four road games while going 15 for 20 from 3-point range.

Hawks hold off late charge to beat Magic 86-80

By KYLE HIGHTOWER
Posted Dec 12 2012 10:54PM

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) Piecing together lineups has become the norm for Atlanta coach Larry Drew in recent weeks, with injuries consistently causing havoc for his roster.

When his team has faced the Orlando Magic lately, though, just showing up seems to be enough.

Josh Smith and Jeff Teague scored 16 points apiece, Al Horford added 13 points and 13 rebounds, and the Hawks held off a late charge by the Magic for an 86-80 victory Wednesday night.

Atlanta extended its regular-season win streak against Orlando to eight and earned its second win over its division rival this season.

Arron Afflalo scored 16 points and J.J. Redick added 13 for the Magic, who were able to dig out of a huge first-half hole, but couldn't overcome 16 turnovers that led to 24 points.

"Orlando made us fight for it," Horford said. "Even when you thought they were out of the game, they just kept coming."

Horford said he and Smith are slowly getting more comfortable taking the lead offensively in games without departed guard Joe Johnson to lean on. Johnson was traded to Brooklyn in the offseason.

"Now with us having to carry a big part of the offense, I think it kind of forces us to be more aggressive offensively and just keep finding each other," Horford said.

The Magic didn't do themselves any favors on offense, connecting on only 31 of 81 shots, in dropping their fourth straight home game. Orlando gets a chance to end the skid Friday against Golden State.

It was the Magic's first home game since Nov. 30 following a five-game trip, but it hardly was a welcome return. Atlanta led by as many as 19 in the third quarter before a late Orlando run trimmed it to 12 entering the fourth.

The Magic pulled within six late, but costly turnovers and their inability to get stops on defense helped the Hawks secure the win. The loss marked Orlando's fourth straight game with at least 15 turnovers.

During its eight-game losing streak to Atlanta, Orlando is averaging just 79.4 points and shooting a paltry 39 percent.

"Making shots helps, but it's not everything," Afflalo said. "On the road I think we played more focused, spirited basketball. I guess it's something ... The way we start the game has to be with more energy. One of us, next game, will take it upon ourselves to make sure that it happens."

Atlanta played just eight players, but was clearly the livelier team early on, despite Wednesday marking the end of a three-game road swing and Drew deciding to rest forward DeShawn Stevenson's ailing knee.

Drew said they likely would continue resting Stevenson for back-to-back games. Atlanta hosts Charlotte on Thursday.

With Stevenson unavailable, the Hawks got help from reserves Lou Williams and Kyle Korver, who returned after missing five straight games with back spasms.

Korver didn't show much rust at all, going 3 for 5 from 3-point range and finishing with nine points in 23 minutes. Williams was efficient from inside and out, scoring 11 points and stunting Magic runs with timely baskets.

"They gave us a tremendous lift," Drew said. "Both Kyle and Lou are two guys we particularly rely on when we hit a bump in the road, when we need a basket. It's usually one of those guys we draw a play for."

Drew also praised guard Devin Harris, who had 10 points after scoring seven combined in the previous two games against Memphis and Miami.

Smith had 10 first-half points to help the Hawks take a 46-34 lead at the break.

The Hawks hovered near 50-percent shooting for most of the half, scoring 20 points in the paint and turning several Magic turnovers into layups.

Orlando didn't help its cause, shooting 34 percent (14 of 41) and committing eight turnovers in the opening 24 minutes.

"In the games that we won (on the road trip) we took care of the basketball," Magic coach Jacque Vaughn said. "There was a stretch tonight where it was a four-point game and then we had three turnovers in a row, and the next thing you know it was a 12-point game."

Smith said he likes temperament the Hawks are playing with right now.

"We are playing together. I think we are very unselfish," Smith said. "We definitely play with a chip on our shoulders. No one gave us a chance when we lost Joe ... We are in this thing together and no one is playing selfish and we have a good cohesive unit."

Notes: Drew said he didn't have a problem with backup C Zaza Pachulia becoming the first Atlanta player issued an official flopping warning for a play in the Hawks' win last week against Washington. "Obviously the league is taking a real close stance with that," Drew said. "I don't even remember the play, but if they say it happened, it happened ... Zaza is Zaza. He's a banger. He throws his body all over the place." ...The Magic's Friday night game against Golden State will begin at 7 p.m. It was originally scheduled for an 8 p.m. start.

---

Follow Kyle Hightower on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/khightower.

Notebook: Hawks 86, Magic 80

Dick Scanlon, for NBA.com
Posted Wed Dec 12, 2012 11:24 PM - Updated Wed Dec 12, 2012 11:24 PM

THE FACTS: Josh Smith and Al Horford combined for 29 points and 24 rebounds to lead the Atlanta Hawks to their 10th victory in 12 games, an 86-80 decision over the Orlando Magic.

The Hawks made eight of their first 11 shots and grabbed a 16-2 lead on their way to beating the Magic for the eighth straight time, including twice this season.

Jeff Teague matched Smith's game-high 16 points for Atlanta while Arron Afflalo led the Magic with 16 points.

QUOTABLE: "I think this year we're playing at our best together. And now with us being forced to carry a bigger part of the offense, it forces us to be more aggressive offensively and keep finding each other."
-- Horford on the success of his play in a tandem with Smith.

THE STAT: In their last eight regular-season games, the Hawks have held the Magic to 79.4 points per game and a shooting percentage of .387.

TURNING POINT: The Magic had chopped a 19-point Atlanta lead down to eight on a 4-point play Afflalo late in the third quarter when Devin Harris took a charge by Afflalo. Kyle Korver nailed a 3-pointer on the other end, launching a 10-2 charge that put the Hawks back in command.

TURNING OVER: Six turnovers in the second quarter and six more in the third quarter stymied the Magic's chances of erasing their dismal start.

QUOTABLE II: "It was another game where we defended well in the halfcourt, and we turned it over and gave them opportunities to score the basketball, made it easy on 'em. We are what we are right now; we're a high-turnover team."
-- Magic guard J.J. Redick.

HOT: After missing five straight games due to back spasms, Korver drilled three 3-pointers in five attempts for the Hawks.

NOT: Glen Davis had a rough night against the shot-blocking Smith, shooting 2-for-11.

GOOD MOVE: Anthony Morrow started for the Hawks at small forward in place of DeShawn Stevenson, who rested his weary knees. Morrow did not put up big numbers, but the Hawks didn't need them in their eight-man rotation.

BAD MOVE: In his last six games, all starts, rookie Maurice Harkless has produced a total of 10 points and 12 rebounds for Orlando.

QUOTABLE II: "We will let this game kind of subside and think smartly, and watch the film and continue to diagnose what some of the problems might be. Never rush, be patient and come to a conclusion."
-- Magic coach Jacque Vaughn when asked if he was considering changes to the starting lineup.

IN THE ARENA: The crowd of of 16,992 was the smallest ever announced at Amway Arena, now operating in its third season.

FANTASY SPOTLIGHT: Horford (13 points, 13 rebounds, four assists) is one of only two NBA players averaging at least 16 points, 10 rebounds and three assists. (The other is Golden State's David Lee).

ROOKIE WATCH: Magic rookie Andrew Nicholson came off the bench with eight points and seven rebounds, bringing his three-game totals to 37 and 21.

UP NEXT: For the Hawks: Thursday vs. Charlotte, Saturday vs. Golden State, Tuesday @ Washington. For the Magic: Friday vs. Golden State. Saturday @ Charlotte, Monday vs. Minnesota.

• Hawks: Stevenson
• Magic: Harrington, Turkoglu

• Hawks: --
• Magic: --

• Lead Changes: 2
• Times Tied: 0

• Arena: Amway Center, Orlando, FL
• Officials: #23 Jason Phillips, #45 Brian Forte, #66 Haywoode Workman
• Attendance: 16992
• Duration: 2:00