The Hawks’ recent domination of the Magic is clearly over.
After winning 11 straight games in the series, the Hawks have dropped two straight, the latest a 109-102 loss Sunday night at the Amway Center.
The Hawks fell behind by as many as 12 points and fought their way back to take a brief fourth-quarter lead, before the Magic pulled away late.
“They played well and we missed some shots coming down the stretch,” guard Jeff Teague said. “It’s been a couple long games for us. I think our legs were a little tired. It’s part of the game though. We’ll bounce back.”
The Hawks had played three straight overtime games, including Saturday’s win over the Bobcats in Atlanta. Fatigue appeared to be a factor early, as the Hawks shot 31 percent (7 of 22) in the first quarter, and in the late going, when they had several costly turnovers in the fourth quarter. It was the fifth straight home game for the Magic, who have been on a homestand since Dec. 17.
The Magic snapped their lengthy losing streak to the Hawks with a 109-92 win in Atlanta on Nov. 26. Just over a month later, they won again.
The Hawks played without two starters as Al Horford (torn right pectoral muscle) and DeMarre Carroll (sprained right thumb) remained in Atlanta.
“We built this team based on having depth and having other guys being able to step in when their number is called,” Lou Williams said. “We didn’t anticipate having to use that because of injury but now, that is the circumstance for us. Other guys like Elton (Brand), Pero (Antic), Mike (Scott) and Gustavo (Ayon) collectively have done a good job.”
The Magic took the 12-point advantage in the second quarter. The Hawks clawed back to tie the game, 79-79, on a Dennis Schroder three-point play to start the fourth quarter. On the Hawks’ next possession, Schroder made a free throw to put the Hawks up 80-79, their first lead since a 3-0 start to the game.
The Magic then used a 9-0 fourth-quarter run to regain control, 93-85, with less than six minutes remaining. Five of the points came off two straight Hawks turnovers, a steal and dunk by Victor Oladipo and a 3-pointer from Jameer Nelson.
When Arron Afflalo hit a 3-pointer with 2:45 remaining, the Magic restored a double-digit lead to 100-90.
“We turned it over and we couldn’t get a good shot and we got late in the shot clock,” Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer said. “I think their defense was good. We talked about needing to move the ball a little bit and set better screens. When we were driving and getting to the paint, good things were happening. There was that little stretch there where we couldn’t get to the paint, we couldn’t attack. They got deflections and steals.”
The Hawks (17-14, 5-10 away) had a two-game win streak snapped, failing to match a season-high three-game win streak.
Teague led the Hawks with 22 points. Williams added 18 points in a starting role and Paul Millsap finished with 17. Shelvin Mack had 14 points.
The Kyle Korver 3-point streak continued and hit triple digits. He extended his NBA-record streak to 100 games with a long-range basket.
The Magic (10-20, 7-9 home) won their second straight.
Afflalo led the Magic with 21 points after scoring just seven in the first half. Seven Magic players scored in double-figures. Tobias Harris added 17 points. Nikola Vucevic had 16 points and 14 rebounds and Glen Davis had 16 points.
The Hawks conclude a two-game road trip Tuesday afternoon against the Celtics.
