Magic at Hawks
THE STORY: The Atlanta Hawks are seeking a clinching victory and the Orlando Magic will attempt to notch a breakthrough road win when Game 6 of the Eastern Conference first-round series is staged in the Peach State on Thursday. Orlando lost Games 3 and 4 in Atlanta and a third road loss would result in the franchise’s initial first-round playoff exit since 2007. A victory would set up a Game 7 on Saturday that would represent an opportunity for Orlando to become just the ninth team in NBA history to overcome a 3-1 deficit. The Hawks played horribly while being routed 101-76 in Game 5 and would like to wrap up the series in their home venue.
TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, NBATV
ABOUT THE HAWKS: Atlanta’s forgettable Game 5 showing included dreadful performances from guards Jamal Crawford and Joe Johnson, who were averaging a combined 44 points through four contests. Crawford had eight points and Johnson scored just five. Josh Smith had 22 points and 11 rebounds, but connected on just seven of 18 shots. Marvin Williams, who had 12 points, was the only other Atlanta player in double figures. Atlanta posted its lowest scoring output of the series and also allowed its most points. The Hawks’ homecourt victories in the series were by scores of 88-84 and 88-85.
ABOUT THE MAGIC: Dwight Howard finally received a lot of help from his teammates so his single-digit scoring effort in Game 5 was inconsequential. Howard had eight points and eight rebounds after averaging 32.3 points and 17.5 rebounds through the first four games. Jason Richardson had a team-high 17 points in his return from serving a one-game suspension after his scrap with Zaza Pachulia in Game 3. J.J. Redick was a factor for the first time in the series with 14 points and helped Orlando jump out to a 13-point first-quarter lead with 11 points on 5-of-5 shooting in the frame. Overall, Orlando received 49 points from its bench with Ryan Anderson (11 points) also scoring in double figures. The Magic rediscovered their 3-point shooting prowess by hitting 11 of 26 attempts.
WHO'S HOT/WHO’S NOT: Redick scored 14 points on 6-of-8 shooting in Game 5 after making just 6 of 26 shots in the first four contests. Johnson scored just five points on 2-of-12 shooting in Game 5 after averaging 20 points over the first four contests.
KEY STATISTIC: Orlando shot 42.3 percent from 3-point range in the Game 5 victory. The Magic shot just 21.9 percent from behind the arc in the first four games.
LAST WORD: “We’re in a situation where we still feel good about ourselves. We’ll go back home. We still have an opportunity. Our fans are gonna be behind us, just as their fans were behind them. So we’re gonna put this game behind us as fast as we can.” – Atlanta coach Larry Drew after his team was routed in Game 5.