Hawks at Magic
The Orlando Magic sit on the verge of their first playoff berth in seven seasons, but the margin for error is thin entering the final three games, starting with Friday’s home contest against the Atlanta Hawks. In Steve Clifford’s first season as head coach, the Magic have won eight in a row at home after Wednesday’s 114-100 win over New York, jumping into a tie with Brooklyn for seventh in the Eastern Conference and one-half game ahead of ninth-place Miami.
Center Nikola Vucevic scored 29 points with 13 rebounds in Wednesday’s victory, and the longest-tenured Magic player cautioned that Orlando must focus on the final three games, including visits to Boston and Charlotte. “There are still three more games to be played,” Vucevic, who joined the Magic in 2012, told reporters. “We’re happy, but we have to focus on the next one.” That next one comes against a rebuilding Atlanta squad that continues to surpass expectations and give playoff teams fits, the Hawks beating playoff-bound Philadelphia for the second time in 10 days with Wednesday’s 130-122 victory. “For some reasons, we play well against playoff teams,” Atlanta forward John Collins told the media after scoring 25 points against the 76ers. “We get up to play.”
TV: 7 p.m. ET, FS Southeast (Atlanta), FS Florida (Orlando)
ABOUT THE HAWKS (29-50): Rookie point guard Trae Young continues to emerge as one of the league’s dynamic young players, scoring 33 points with 12 assists in Wednesday’s victory, and is averaging 24.1 points, 9.6 assists and 4.5 rebounds in his past 10 contests. Collins has scored 20-plus points in his past three games, and leads Atlanta in scoring (19.5 points per game) and rebounding (9.6 per contest). The Hawks are 23-27 following a 6-23 start to the season.
ABOUT THE MAGIC (39-40): Orlando has turned around its season since Jan. 31, going 19-9 since with winning streaks of five games and six games in that stretch. Guard Terrence Ross scored 23 points off the bench Wednesday and is averaging 14.2 points per game on 40 percent shooting from 3-point range in his past 10 games. Vucevic averages 20.7 points and 12 rebounds per game, and has excelled against the Hawks this season, averaging 25 points with 15.3 rebounds in three games.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Young recorded his 17th game with at least 20 points and 10 assists Wednesday, tied for third-most in the NBA this season.
2. The Magic have won 12 of their past 13 home games, and their 24 homecourt victories is the franchise’s most since 2010-11.
3. Orlando is 29-9 when leading after three quarters this season.