Hawks earn rare victory over Magic

By Michael Cunningham

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

ORLANDO -- In one night the Hawks finally figured out how to beat the Magic and win a tight game against a good opponent, and do both without injured All-Star Joe Johnson.

The Hawks defeated the Magic 80-74 on Monday night at Amway Center to end a six-game losing streak in Orlando. The Hawks had lost 10 of their last 11 games against the Magic, who swept them in 2010 Eastern Conference semifinals by an NBA record margin of 101 points.

Considering that ugly history, this was more than just a routine December road victory for the Hawks.

"I ain't even going to lie to you," Hawks forward Josh Smith said. "After losing in the playoffs by like an average of 30 points and playing good enough to win last time but coming up short, we was [sic] just determined to get a win here."

Determination is what it took for the Hawks, who lost 93-89 at Orlando on Nov. 8 after they led with five minutes to go.This time, the Hawks were up 54-53 entering the fourth quarter and never gave up the lead.

It was just Atlanta's fourth victory in its last 14 trips to Orlando. The Hawks lost won here on Oct. 29, 2008, when the Magic played in a different arena.

"I don't know if it breaks the spell," Hawks coach Larry Drew said. "I just know tonight our guys did a great job of finishing."

It didn't always go smoothly for the Hawks but they persevered.

Atlanta led 62-55 with less than eight minutes to play, but Orlando quickly cut it to 64-62. After the teams traded baskets, the Hawks finally found a burst of scoring down the stretch.

Smith made a fade-away jump shot and Josh Powell was fouled after rebounding his own miss. Powell made both free throws. Hawks guard Mike Bibby next pump-faked Chris Duhon and made a 3-pointer to cap the 7-0 run.

The Magic had one last run at the Hawks. Rashard Lewis made a 3-pointer, after Atlanta's Jamal Crawford answered with a driving score, Vince Carter scored on consecutive drives and completed a 3-point play on the second one to make it 73-67.

That's when Bibby delivered another clutch dagger. His high-arching 3-pointer from the middle of the court gave the Hawks a 76-72 lead and they finished off a rare victory over the Magic.

For most of the game neither team made many shots, held onto the ball or created any kind of offensive flow. It was the kind of game the Hawks have a tendency to lose because they can't grind out the tough possessions

"It's encouraging to see see guys stick with it and keep defending and keep rebounding," Hawks center Al Horford said. "It was ugly but we'll take it."

Hawks center Jason Collins held his ground against Orlando All-Star Dwight Howard, paying for it once with a shot to the mouth. Howard scored just 14 points, more than seven points less than his average, and he had six turnovers.

"I thought [Collins] did a great job," Drew said. "We know what he's about. He can play Dwight straight up. Dwight is going to score, we know that, but we wanted to make him earn it. It took us out of the double-teams."

Zaza Pachulia, Etan Thomas, Horford and Powell also took turns against Howard. Smith helped control the paint while recording five blocked shots.

With Howard in check, the Magic had to rely mostly on jump shots. Carter (18 points) made a few with defenders in his face and got to the basket for scores but Atlanta generally controlled the rest of the Magic.

For the second straight game the Hawks managed just 36 points in the first half, which is their season low. Smith and Horford combined to shoot 9 of 14 from the field while their teammates were 7 of 31.

The Magic couldn't do much better. Orlando scored just 34 points in the half and needed 16 points from their reserves to do it.

The Hawks were up 54-53 after three quarters and stayed in control.

"Mentally this is a big boost for our guys," Drew said. "We've come away empty-handed here for a very, very long time."