Magic at Hawks
Tim Hardaway Jr. has flourished for the Atlanta Hawks the past month, helping lead his team into Saturday’s home contest against the Orlando Magic as winners of 14 out of 19 games. Hardaway Jr. scored a career-high 33 points as Atlanta rallied from a 20-point, fourth-quarter deficit Thursday at Houston, and is averaging 14.6 points in 14 games since Kyle Korver was dealt to Cleveland.
Atlanta entered the weekend fifth in the Eastern Conference but only five games behind first-place Cleveland. The Magic are on the opposite end of the standings, sitting four games out of a playoff spot after Friday’s 102-94 home victory over Toronto. Orlando won for just the third time in the past 11 games, getting 20 points, 12 rebounds and three blocked shots from Serge Ibaka, who has been the subject of trade rumors. The Magic, who ranked in the bottom third of the NBA in opponents’ shooting percentage at 46.3 percent, held Toronto to 39.1 percent shooting.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, FSN Florida (Orlando), FSN Southeast (Atlanta)
ABOUT THE MAGIC (20-32): Forward Even Fournier, who scored a combined 21 points with two rebounds in two games since returning from a right foot injury, scored 20 points with 10 rebounds and four assists against the Raptors. Ibaka recorded his eighth double-double of the season and has hit multiple 3-pointers in three straight contests. C.J. Watson came off the bench to match a career high with 18 points Friday, and is shooting 64.3 percent from the field in his past four games.
ABOUT THE HAWKS (29-21): Center Dwight Howard recorded his second 20-20 game of the season Thursday, finishing with 24 points and 23 rebounds, and ranks in the top five in the NBA in rebounds per game (13) and field-goal percentage (64.1 percent). Paul Millsap leads five players averaging double figures at 17.8 points per game, recording 8.1 rebounds and 3.8 assists per contest. Atlanta is 25-6 when scoring 100 or more points.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Orlando ranks in the bottom five of the NBA in scoring, averaging 99.9 points per game.
2. Hardaway scored 23 points in the fourth quarter, the first Atlanta player to score at least 23 points in a quarter since Salim Stoudamire on Nov. 18, 2005 (24).
3. The two teams have split their first two meetings this season, each team winning on the road.