Atlanta Hawks (44-33) beat Orlando Magic (40-36) 130-101 on the road on Wednesday, April 1. The final margin was 29 points.
The game, quarter by quarter
The Magic had the better start, winning the first 28-25 to lead by 3 after one. The Hawks moved in front with a 47-26 second quarter, carrying a 18-point lead into halftime.
The Hawks won the third 30-22 to create some separation, taking a 26-point lead into the fourth. The Hawks took the fourth 28-25; the Hawks finished the job for a 130-101 regulation win.
Why it was lopsided
The Hawks got more from their shots, finishing at 59.2% effective field-goal shooting compared with 43.2% for the Magic. The Hawks grabbed 27.5% of their own misses, while the Magic recovered 16.7%. That shooting gap supplied the clearest edge.
The Magic did win one battle, the free-throw line: FT rate of 28.4 against 22.8. The Hawks made up for it elsewhere.
At roughly 111 possessions per team, the Hawks produced 116.8 points per 100 possessions to 90.8 for the Magic.
Who stood out
Nickeil Alexander-Walker was the game's biggest individual force for ATL: 32 pts, 4 reb, 1 ast, 3 stl on 11-16 shooting. His Game Score of 26.2 led everyone. His team was +28 with him on the floor.
Dyson Daniels (15 pts, 13 reb, 4 ast) and Jalen Johnson (18 pts, 14 reb, 8 ast) each recorded a double-double.
What it means
The pre-game Win Meter had it close to a coin flip, at about 45% for the Hawks.
Across the last 8 meetings in our records, Atlanta Hawks lead 5-3.
The Hawks are now 44-33, and the Magic are 40-36. The Hawks last five before this game: W-W-L-W-W.
Written automatically by Tip Off Live software from box score data. Ratings and probabilities are our own model estimates.