Hawks at Magic
THE STORY: The Atlanta Hawks look to wrap up their first-round series on Tuesday when they visit the Orlando Magic in Game 5. The Hawks prevailed 88-85 on Sunday to take a commanding 3-1 lead over the team that swept them out of last year’s playoffs by a combined 101 points. Jamal Crawford continued his fine series with 25 points, and Joe Johnson added 20. Orlando had a chance to force overtime but Al Horford messed up the timing of the final play with a near steal, and Hedo Turkoglu’s last-second 3-pointer was off the mark. Orlando has struggled offensively and has scored 88 or fewer points in each of the last three games.
TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, NBATV
ABOUT THE MAGIC: Shooting has been a major issue in the series. Orlando is hitting only 40.3 percent of its field-goal attempts, including a porous 21.9 percent from 3-point range. The Magic were 2-of-23 from behind the arc Sunday. Howard is the lone Orlando player who is shooting well. He’s hitting 66.7 percent of his shots while averaging 32.3 points and 17.5 rebounds. However, Howard has committed 26 turnovers, an average of 6.5 per game. Gilbert Arenas provided a boost with 20 points Sunday after not leaving the bench in Game 3. Jason Richardson will be back after a one-game suspension, but averaged only 8.7 points while shooting 30 percent over the first three games.
ABOUT THE HAWKS: Crawford and Johnson shined Sunday as Atlanta’s backcourt again outperformed Orlando’s guards by a large margin. Crawford is averaging 24 points with a low output of 23. Johnson has three 20-point outings with a high game of 25 in the opener. Al Horford had 14 points and 12 rebounds for his second double-double. Zaza Pachulia returns from a suspension for his skirmish with Richardson in Game 3 and will again be asked to frustrate Howard with pesky, physical play. Atlanta’s six-game losing skid to end the regular season is a distant memory after the Hawks’ stellar play in the series.
WHO'S HOT/WHO’S NOT: Johnson is averaging 20 points and 6.5 rebounds. Orlando’s Jameer Nelson is shooting only 35.5 percent.
KEY STATISTIC: Turkoglu was 2-of-12 from the field in Game 4 and is shooting 22.9 percent.
LAST WORD: “This series is far from over but we’re running out of time. It’s about stepping up and doing what we do at a high level. We’ve got shooters who haven’t shot very well. We haven’t played anywhere near the level we’re capable of.” – Orlando coach Stan Van Gundy.