The Atlanta Hawks defeated the Orlando Magic 103-99 Saturday Night at State Farm Arena. The competitive affair when down to the final 25 seconds but the home team was able to stand strong and assert their dominance in the end.
Trae Young had another standout night posting a team-high 39 points. It’s clear that the Hawks offense runs through the former rookie and he’s taken up the responsibility and worn it with pride. Constantly hooking up with John Collins, the Hawks’ offense looked in-step.
It was a special night against the Magic. A night where every player on the roster registered points and three different Hawks found themselves with double figures. Trae Young’s 39 point performance was followed by 10 point-outings from Jabari Parker and Kevin Huerter.
The Magic put up a good fight. The narrow margin of victory was no fluke as the visitors nearly mirrored the Hawks’ roster performance. Everyone who stepped on the court scored points and five players put in double-digit performances. Center Nikola Vucevic had a double-double (16 pts, 10 rebs, 1 asst) and guard Evan Fournier lead with a team-high 23 points.
In the final minutes, the Hawks lead 99-97 and the clock was winding down. With a mere 25 seconds to play, Trae Young bared the leadership role on his chest and launched a deep three-pointer to give them some breathing room. He drained the three with emphatic applause to follow, along with his reaction of rubbing his arms (to insinuate he’s ‘cold’) as the Magic called a timeout.
The long-range three took the wind out the Magic’s sails and the Hawks were able to comfortably finish the night.
-Jon J.
Photo: Hakim Wright