The All-Star break started early for the Hawks.
Coach Larry Drew could afford to rest many of his regulars after the Hawks opened a 25-point first-half lead and cruised to a 108-76 victory over the Magic Wednesday night at the Amway Center.
The Hawks’ lead grew to as many as 38 points in the third quarter. The Hawks led 90-56 by the end of the period with Josh Smith (30 points) and Al Horford (26) combining for the same point total as the Magic. The duo combined to score 27 of the Hawks’ 33 third-quarter points.
They rested the entire fourth quarter.
“There have been situations where we have come out flat,” Drew said. “I thought tonight’s game the setup was perfect for that. I was concerned. We were playing a team that has had some struggles. We’ve beaten them a couple times. We were coming off a big win against Dallas. I just thought there were things not in our favor from a mental standpoint.
“The last thing I said to the guys as we broke the huddle in shootaround this morning was ‘Prove me wrong. Prove me wrong that we are a team that we can deal with a big win, that we can come in here and not deal with a mental letdown.'”
Smith’s 30 points were one shy of his season high, set Dec. 26 against Detroit. He added 10 rebounds and five assists. Horford added 12 rebounds and five assists.
“A little reverse psychology,” Smith said of Drew’s challenge. “It worked. We had an understanding with each other that we were not going to take this game for granted, that we were going to play aggressive on both ends of the court.”
The Hawks (29-22) go into the break with two straight wins. The victory was their ninth straight over the Magic, including all three matchups this season.
The Hawks ran their record to 20-7 when they score 100-plus points and are 12-2 when Horford and Smith each register a double-double.
About the only thing in doubt was whether Kyle Korver would extended his franchise record streak of consecutive games with a 3-pointer. He made one from long range with six minutes remaining to run the streak to 45 games.
Smith, who has been dealing with trade rumors much of the season, has averaged 24.5 points, 10.0 rebounds and 6.7 assists while shooting 53.7 percent over the past four games. The forward again shrugged off the notion that the possibility of a trade, with the deadline fast approaching, has been a distraction.
“Well, I’ve been playing well,” Smith said. “I guess my game speaks for that question. I’m not worried about any outside distractions from the media, all the hearsay, and I just play my game and not worry about anything else.”
The Magic (15-37) lost for the 13th time in the past 14 games.
The Hawks took a 57-36 lead into halftime. Despite making just one of their first 10 shots, the Hawks led by six points by the end of the first quarter. A 28-9 run to start the second quarter followed and the lead was 25 points.
Horford had 15 points, 10 rebounds and four assists in the first half. Smith had 15 points, seven rebounds and four assists. The two Hawks stars combined for 17 first-half rebounds, just one less than the entire Magic team combined.
“After losing to New Orleans at home (Feb. 8), one of our points of emphasis was to finish out strong and get these last two games (before the All-Star break),” Horford said. “We were able to do that.”
The Hawks are off until Feb. 20 when they host the Heat.
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