‘We got back and regrouped:’ Hawks adapt and rally in road win over Magic
After what they called an embarrassing outing in their season opener, the Hawks put together a much better showing on the road.
With “The Final Countdown” blaring over the speakers and 21 seconds to play, the Hawks made a big stand. Dyson Daniels chased Desmond Bane off the 3-point line, forcing him to dump the ball off to Paolo Banchero.
When Banchero’s 3-point attempt hit the iron, it forced bodies to the floor for the loose ball, and Mo Gueye came up with it, leaving 5.1 seconds on the clock and sealing the Hawks’ rally.
The Hawks beat the Magic, who led the game by as many as 14 points, 111-107.
“Although the result we had the first game wasn’t what we wanted, obviously, we got back and regrouped,” Hawks guard Trae Young said. “And, you could tell the focus was there. You could tell we really just got back to doing what we were preparing for all training camp and all summer.
“So, even tonight, it’s just one game. Like we did what we needed to do, beat a really good team tonight. We’ve got another one tomorrow, and just got to continue to take it day by day and just one game at a time.”
Quick Stats: The Hawks had four of five starters finish in double figures. Young had 25 points, six assists, two steals and one block. Nickeil Alexander-Walker finished with 19 points, four assists and one steal. Mouhamed Gueye had 13 points, eight rebounds, three assists and one block off the bench.
Turning point
The Hawks went on a 12-0 run, systematically cutting up the Magic’s lead to tie the game at 93 with 6:33 to play in the game.
With 10:48 to play, Vit Krejci stepped into a 3-pointer. Just under three minutes later, Keaton Wallace made a triple from the right corner. Then Luke Kennard scored a running layup before the Hawks began to sub in some of their starters, along with Asa Newell, who made his regular-season debut.
The rookie scored his first NBA bucket on a corner 3-pointer with 7:33 to play in the game to cut it to a two-possession game, before slamming down a lob from Young to tie the game and force the Magic to call a timeout.
Highlight play
With 5:57 to play in the game, Young shook Tyus Jones with a screen from Gueye at the top of the key. When he got the right amount of space, he stepped back and launched a 29-foot jumper.
It gave the Hawks their first lead since 11:15 remained in the second quarter, when they led 27-26.
What they said
“More than anything, Asa, Mo, Keaton (Wallace), Vit (Krejci), those guys, they put time in. They’re there early. Our coaching staff just does a great job, both teaching and they’re competing too. They competed. That’s the biggest thing.” -- Quin Snyder on the Hawks’ 12-0 run in the fourth quarter.
Up Next
The Hawks head back to State Farm Arena on Saturday to host the reigning NBA champion Thunder.
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