Magic at Hawks
The Orlando Magic won their first after New Year’s Day but it has been mostly downhill since, losing seven times in nine games entering Monday’s matinee at the Atlanta Hawks. Orlando lost its third in a row Saturday in a 118-108 home defeat to Milwaukee, allowing the Bucks to build a 16-point third-quarter advantage and hit 55.3 percent of their shots from the field overall, drawing harsh criticism from coach Steve Clifford.
“We can’t play defense like we’ve played these last four games,” Clifford told reporters afterward, as the Magic have surrendered 112.2 points per game dating back to Jan. 4. “You’ve got to give yourself a chance to win, but our defense is just not where it needs to be.” Wins have come a little more frequently of late for Atlanta, which pushed Boston well into the fourth quarter before a late-game 9-0 run sent the Hawks to a 113-105 home loss. Atlanta was outscored 30-16 in the fourth quarter and shot just 30 percent from the field in the final 12 minutes. “Fourth quarter, they were being aggressive on us and we were on our heels,” forward Deandre Bembry told the media afterward.
TV: 3 p.m. ET, FS Florida (Orlando), FS Southeast (Atlanta)
ABOUT THE MAGIC (19-27): Center Nikola Vucevic averages team highs in points (20.3 per game) and rebounds (11.9 per contest; 10th in the NBA), finishing with 27 points Saturday. Guard D.J. Augustin hit three 3-pointers against Milwaukee and is tied for 11th in the league in long-range shooting (42.9 percent). Rookie center Mo Bamba has scored 14 points with 10 rebounds and two blocks in two games since returning from left foot soreness.
ABOUT THE HAWKS (14-31): Forward John Collins is averaging 21.8 points and 10 rebounds per game across his past five contests, and is ninth in the league in field-goal percentage (58.4 percent). Rookie guard Kevin Huerter led Atlanta in scoring against Boston with 18 points, and reaching double figures in scoring in 10 consecutive games has bumped his season average to 9.2. Rookie guard Trae Young leads all Eastern Conference first-year players in double-doubles (four).
BUZZER BEATERS
1. The Hawks are 8-8 after starting the season 6-23.
2. Orlando is fifth in the NBA in second-chance points allowed per game (11.07).
3. Monday is the first of four meetings between the Southeast Division rivals this season.