Hawks 104, Magic 94

Hawks 104, Magic 94

THE FACT: Trailing by one with 3:50 left, the Hawks made five of their last six shots with guard Jeff Teague scoring or assisting on four.
THE LEAD: With 19 points and 13 assists, Teague's fourth double-double of the season when paired with a third straight by Paul Millsap (18 points,11 rebounds) fueled Atlanta to a 104-94 win over the Magic. But the Hawks' defense went limp just long enough to make this a contest late.
The Hawks (3-3) opened the second half on an 18-2 run for a 64-47 lead, but the Magic countered with a 24-6 march of their own to take a 71-70 lead late in the third period. It was the Hawks' 11th straight win over Orlando.

Orlando (3-4) took its final lead when Arron Afflalo hit a 3-pointer with 3:50 remaining in the game for an 88-87 edge.
Afflalo had a game-high 21 points, but from that point missed his final two shots and went 2-for-4 from the line in that time as Teague anchored the Hawks down the stretch.
Al Horford hit consecutive 18-foot jumpers off feeds from the Atlanta point guard for a 91-88 lead, Teague added two baskets, and Kyle Korver picked up his second 3-pointer and two rebounds as the Hawks beat Orlando for the seventh straight time at home.
The Hawks had a season-high 36 assists on 43 baskets. That was the highest total for Atlanta since dishing 37 on Dec. 2, 2009 against Toronto.
QUOTABLE: "Guys were getting to their spots, and I was able to get the ball to them. I was getting in the lane, trying to draw defenders."
-- Teague
THE STAT: 10-0: The Magic had eight offensive rebounds and 10 second-chance points in the first half, and one offensive rebound and no second-chance points in the second.
TURNING POINT: There wasn't a turning point so much as a method. Orlando center Nikola Vucevic entered the game averaging 17.2 points and 13.2 rebounds. He finished with a season-lows of seven points and six rebounds. Credit goes largely to the defensive work of Horford and Pero Antic.
QUOTABLE II: "Al Horford's defensive intensity, his defensive will, has been great. Not just tonight but from Day One. We have a long way to go, but I think Al is setting the tone . . . Al was making [Vucevic's] catches difficult. We want to do our work before the ball goes into the post."
-- Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer
HOT: With his second straight 6-for-10 shooting performance, Korver continued a tear that has seen him go 29-for-46 (63 percent) over the past five games. He's shot 15-for-25 (60 percent) on 3-pointers in that time. ... Atlanta's DeMarre Carroll hit all four of his shots in the third quarter, including a pair of treys, for 10 of his 12 points. He made all five of his shots in the game. . . . Hawks sub Mike Scott hit his first four shots on the way to a season-high 17 points.
NOT: Orlando rookie Victor Oladipo has his second substandard game in as many nights. He scored five points on 2-for-8 shooting with three turnovers. He was 3-for-12 with nine points in Friday's home loss to Boston.
QUOTABLE III: "They have rugged, good, big players and that has caused problems for us."
-- Magic coach Jacque Vaughn
NOTABLE: Korver hit a 3-point shot with 3:20 left in the second quarter, the 79th consecutive game in which he has nailed at least one. That ties Michael Adams for the second-longest streak in NBA history. He trails only Dana Barros (89). ... Atlanta's Elton Brand was DNP-CD for the second straight game. ... Horford blocked four shots for the second game in a row. He has 10 blocks in his last three, and is averaging 2.7 per game.
UP NEXT: For the Magic, Monday @ Boston, Wednesday vs. Milwaukee, Saturday vs. Dallas. For the Hawks, Monday @ Charlotte, Wednesday vs. New York, Friday vs. Philadelphia.