Official Game Thread: Hawks at Magic

[lethalweapon3]

How am I still here?

 

They have gone from 42-40, to 33-40, to 21-51, and now 13-46 in the space of three-and-a-half seasons. They continue to have a roster full of zombie prospects, with no telling when The Walking Hurt might reanimate to haunt opponents on the court. They dwell around the cellar of the NBA in attendance, and the standings.

Here's an idea. Let’s hand the President of Basketball Ops, and the GM, contract extensions!

Orlando Magic ownership remains more than happy to live off the Seasons of Title Contention Past. We all deserve jobs that give us the space to try, fail, gamble, fail, and try again for years on end. The sight of Jeff Weltman and John Hammond getting extended through 2026 is admirable, when one chooses to look at it that way.

Hustling backwards, Magic, Inc. is willing to live with the still-indefinite injury statuses of Jonathan Isaac and Markelle Fultz. Throw in R.J. Hampton (out, sprained MCL and bruised knee) and momentary acquisition Bol Bol (foot surgery) for good measure.

They’re willing to live with the continued struggles of rookie Jalen Suggs (first double-double last Saturday @ PHX, but 36.0 FG%, 11.2 PPG, 5.5 APG over last 10 starts), plus the wayward shooting of lead scorer Cole Anthony and fellow sophomore Chuma Okeke, with rookie Franz Wagner, Mo Bamba and Wendell Carter flailing about for a bottom-five rebounding team, all under the watchful eye of first-year head coach Jamahl Mosley.

Living isn’t thriving, though. True-blue Magic fans who bother to show up to this divisional contest with the Atlanta Hawks (7 PM Eastern, Bally Sports Southeast and 92.9 FM in ATL, BS Florida) would feel like they were thriving, amid this perpetual rebuild, if they could see a path forward with more clarity than just who are the folks still pulling the strings behind the scenes.

We couldn’t know it was the beginning of a landmark run for our franchise. But the Hawks entered 2021’s All-Star Break after sneaking past Orlando at Amway Center, escaping a 19-point halftime deficit to check out at four games below the .500 mark. The good news is that it would take a deflating loss tonight to go into the Break the same way.

A key difference with 2021 is that there were twelve more post-Break games, 36 in total, for the Hawks to catch up with the rest of the East and artfully Euro-step the Play-In games. This year’s edition, clinging to a 10-seed, has just 24 games to spare following tonight, in a game whose outcome relates to how much deeper the crater will be from which Atlanta (27-30) wishes to ascend.

Another important variation is that Nate McMillan has a few more games under his belt coaching up this collective, although he may have to navigate through the outset of this closing run without John Collins, Atlanta’s second-leading scorer. The third-leading scorer, Bogdan Bogdanovic (questionable, sore ankle) may also sit today’s game out in hopes of a healthy post-Break run. McMillan is going to lean more on his fourth-leading scorer, tonight and going forward, to pull the Hawks through.

Atlanta is 8-0 on the season when De’Andre Hunter completes a game with a plus/minus of +5 or better, the Hawks prevailing by an average of 16.1 points in those contests. Atlanta was susceptible to leaving shooters wide open at the outset of yesterday’s game against visiting Cleveland (8-for-12 first-quarter 3FGs). But once Hunter and fill-in starter Danilo Gallinari got a better feel for their defensive roles on the floor, the Cavs (8-for-29 3FGs in last three quarters) found themselves struggling to keep up.

When opposing defenders forget about Dre at the top of the arc, as was the case at a critical juncture late in yesterday’s 124-116 win, Hunter (38.6 FG%, 22.7 3FG% in last five games; 35.0 above-break 3FG% since returning in mid-January, about the same as Gallo and Kevin Huerter) can make them pay. Diversifying Hunter’s offensive role, instilling further confidence in his ability to read and react, and pushing him to quarterback Atlanta’s NBA-worst transition defense can make him the essential factor in Atlanta’s long-anticipated re-emergence.

Mosley’s Magic will trip opponents up when allowed to do so. They have dropped five of their last six games, and all by double digits. But they closed out their West Coast trip on V-Day in Denver by narrowing 20-point deficits to single digits in the final minute. Orlando also pocketed wins over the Hornets, Bulls and Mavericks last month.

Suggs and Wagner are scrappy with ballhandlers while Okeke (4 steals @ UTA and @ DEN) is skilled in getting strips without fouling. Very few of the current Hawks were on the State Farm Arena floor when the Magic won 104-98 back on December 22, but Atlanta’s 11 first-half turnovers off nine steals (five by Okeke) helped Orlando build a lead, from the fourth minute on, that they would not relinquish. Crisper passing, limited overdribbling and hesitation will need to be the order of the day if the Hawks aim to go wire-to-wire for the win today.

The Hawks concluded last season as a hard-charging club, led by a supreme offensive creator, that no one wants to wrangle with at postseason time with elimination on the line. Atlanta can be that team once more in 2022. But they have plenty to work on during the Break to self-actualize as a playoff threat, or to become something more.

Any more regression by the Hawks, leading to the humble act of watching Cam Reddish and Rui Hachimura in the Play-Ins from home, could result in dire consequences for the players and leaders in charge. Down in Orlando, such punitive consequences could include up to four more years under contract.

 

Let’s Go Hawks!

~lw3

[lethalweapon3]

Cole Anthony was just added to the Boo-Boo Report, listed as Questionable due to a sprained ankle.

Franz won't have Moe to help pump him up. Wagner The Elder has sore ribs and remains out. Look for board-crashing and shenanigans from Robin Lopez as he, Terrence Ross and Gary Harris race toward the buyout exit.

Bogi remains Questionable, presumably a game-time decision with his sore ankle.

~lw3

[lethalweapon3]

A Hawks win tonight would make it ten consecutive home Ls for the Magic versus Southeast Division opponents (0-6 so far this season).

Orlando last beat a divisional opponent at home on January 25 of last year against Charlotte, one night after losing to the Hornets there.

~lw3

[Sothron]

To say this is a mandatory win is an understatement. We gotta get this one.

[lethalweapon3]

I'd like for this player to come up with some scientifically sound theory about cabbage that, one day, becomes known as Cole's Law.

~lw3

[Gray Mule]

Have these Hawks turned the corner?  Critical, must win game tonight.  Please!  No sleepwalk tonight.  And, to make sure, you must make those free throws (if we have any) and grab some rebounds.

GO ATL HAWKS!

[bleachkit]

6 minutes ago, lethalweapon3 said:

I'd like for this player to come up with some scientifically sound theory about cabbage that, one day, becomes known as Cole's Law.

~lw3

Dad joke par excellence.

[lethalweapon3]

Bogi Night! Whoa-oh-ohh!

~lw3

[Spud2nique]

1 hour ago, lethalweapon3 said:

We couldn’t know it was the beginning of a landmark run for our franchise. But the Hawks entered 2021’s All-Star Break after sneaking past Orlando at Amway Center, escaping a 19-point halftime deficit to check out at four games below the .500 mark. The good news is that it would take a deflating loss tonight to go into the Break the same way.

That game in Orlando last year was magical yes sir let’s get it back.

 

1 hour ago, lethalweapon3 said:

Atlanta is 8-0 on the season when De’Andre Hunter completes a game with a plus/minus of +5 or better,

+12 in the 2K sim we good 

 

1 hour ago, lethalweapon3 said:

Orlando, such punitive consequences could include up to four more years under contract.

As long as they get a ring by 2030.. 

 

Great thread as always lw3!!!
 

2k has the Hawks by 14. (Trae leads the way with 40, Hunter 22/5/6.

Vegas has the Hawks -5.5

 

Lets get a huge lead to give Knox and some guys on the bench some run.

GO HAWKS!!!!!

[Spud2nique]

3 minutes ago, lethalweapon3 said:

Bogi Night! Whoa-oh-ohh!

~lw3

Well if he wasn’t available then who dunk those pair of 3’s in 2K? 

LETS GOOOOO BRATE!!! Dude is the X factor to me. Get it Bogi, 4 steals last game too, see you D’ing up love the scrap.

[sturt]

21 minutes ago, lethalweapon3 said:

Bogi Night! Whoa-oh-ohh!

 

Not everybody gets you lw3, but I get you.

[benhillboy]

36 minutes ago, Spud2nique said:

Well if he wasn’t available then who dunk those pair of 3’s in 2K? 

LETS GOOOOO BRATE!!! Dude is the X factor to me. Get it Bogi, 4 steals last game too, see you D’ing up love the scrap.

I so want him and Kevin to get back to that playoff level of deflections and steals.  I’ve never seen the lowest turnover team in the league fail to reap any dividends from it because they’re second from last in forcing them!

Edited February 17, 2022 by benhillboy

[benhillboy]

Trae and Kevin Durant make shooting around .365-.375 from three look like .400 with the crazy variance.

It’s rare that a Euro is a pure hooper but Wagner is that.

Edited February 17, 2022 by benhillboy

[hawkman]

Pour it on Hawks. No letting off the gas.

[GameTime]

Trae is playing MVP basketball offensively right now.

[benhillboy]

Delon and OO on cue with the point differential padding.

[benhillboy]

Anyone remember the point spread for this game?

[terrell]

Good start......

Just now, benhillboy said:

Anyone remember the point spread for this game?

-6 maybe? Not positive..

[benhillboy]

Delon follows the three with the nice close out.  I’m gonna start calling him the Point Differential Don.

Edited February 17, 2022 by benhillboy

[Guest]

2 minutes ago, benhillboy said:

Anyone remember the point spread for this game?

5.5 points Hawks favored