Apr 15, 2025; Orlando, Florida, USA; Atlanta Hawks guard Dyson Daniels (5) shoots the ball against the Orlando Magic in the first quarter at Kia Center. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images / Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images
After trailing the Orlando Magic by as many as 22 in the first half, the Atlanta Hawks battled back to make it a six-point game going into the final quarter, but an absolute disaster of a fourth quarter, plus a struggling supporting cast, led to a defeat in the NBA Play-In Tournament. The Magic are now heading to Boston to face the Celtics in the first round of the playoffs, while the Hawks will face an elimination game in the play-in Tournament at home on Friday vs either the Miami Heat or the Chicago Bulls.
It is hard to find too many positive things to say about the Hawks performance tonight. Before being ejected in the fourth quarter due to two technical fouls, Trae Young had a solid night with 28 points and six assists, but once again, the Magic’s size and length bothered Young and gave him problems. Mouhamed Gueye was solid in the game, finishing with 12 points and four rebounds. Not a spectacular night, but was tasked with guarding Paolo Banchero and played his role well.
The rest of the supporting cast for the Hawks played very poor tonight and was a huge reason the Hawks did not win. Zacccharie Risacher was 2-10 from the field and scored seven points. Onyeka Okongwu had 11 points and nine rebounds, and Dyson Daniels scored seven points. Caris LeVert had seven points on 3-11 shooting. Georges Niang had 15 points, and Dominick Barlow, Terance Mann, and Vit Krejci combined for eight points. The Orlando bench outscored the Hawks’ bench 57-30.
Another reason the Hawks lost was the inability to get fast-break points. Orlando had 19 fast-break points compared to only four for Atlanta. The Hawks needed to win the transition battle and make Orlando play with pace, but could not find a way to do that. The Hawks did not have a problem with turnovers tonight, but were as bad on offense as you can be, shooting 38% from the field and 4-21 from three.
The Magic did not get big performances from their two stars, Franz Wagner and Paolo Banchero (30 combined points on 10-28 shooting), but their supporting cast was awesome. Cole Anthony scored 26 points in 20 points, Anthony Black had 16 points on 6-7 shooting, and Wendell Carter Jr had 19 points and seven rebounds. Orlando also had a +12 advantage on the boards. The Hawks could not let the Orlando supporting cast beat them, but they did.
Atlanta’s season comes down to Friday night. They will host the winner of the Bulls/Heat play-in game, with the winner clinching the No. 8 seed and getting to play the Cleveland Cavaliers in the first round of the playoffs. Atlanta is 2-2 against both Chicago and Miami this season.
It was the usual starting five for Atlanta tonight. Trae Young, Dyson Daniels, Zaccharie Risacher, Mouhamed Gueye, and Onyeka Okongwu were the first five on the floor for the Hawks
Not much went right for the Hawks in the first half. The first six minutes of the 1st quarter were close, with the Hawks opening the game 7-12 from the field, but then missing their next eight shots. One thing Atlanta could not afford to have in this game was foul trouble from their frontcourt, a place on the roster where they are incredibly thin. Gueye picked up two fouls in the first quarter, leading to minutes from Dom Barlow, who was likely only going to be in the rotation in the event of foul trouble. Orlando held Trae Young scoreless in the first quarter and ended it on an 18-2 run. The Hawks were shooting 33% from the field and were 1-7 from three. Orlando beat the Hawks soundly on the glass in the first half, including a +5 margin in the opening quarter.
The Magic kept making the lead bigger in the second quarter. Okongwu and Gueye picked up another foul each, and the Magic led by as many as 22. Atlanta did find some life towards the end of the quarter, though. Young scored 10 points in the quarter, and the Hawks held the Magic to 2-11 from three. Orlando still had control, but their lead was cut to 61-47 at the half.
Neither team could really get anything going on offense, with Orlando shooting 47% from the field, but just 5-20 from three. They did have 25 points from their bench and a +8 rebounding advantage. The Hawks were shooting 40% from the field, but were a ghastly 3-14 from three.
The Hawks needed a strong third quarter, and they got it. It was mostly due to their defense and not getting killed on the glass. Young got a hot start from the field, scoring 12 points in the quarter, and with 2:30 left in the third, the Hawks had the lead cut to three. After not playing in the first half, Atlanta put Vit Krejci into the game, and the Hawks ended up shooting 56% from the field, but just 1-4 from three. The Magic were 33% from the field and 1-8 from three, having about as bad of a third quarter on offense as you can. Niang came off the bench to hit a three at the buzzer, and after trailing by as many as 22 in the game, the Hawks trailed by six going into the fourth.
The fourth quarter was one of the worst the Hawks have played all season. Orlando quickly got the lead back to double-digits and continued to make it bigger. A 16-8 start to the quarter for the Magic turned into a 25-12 run, and that was all she wrote. Towards the end of the game, Young picked up two technical fouls back-to-back and was ejected from the game. The Magic went on to win the game 120-9,5 and Atlanta has a win-or-go-home scenario on Friday night.
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