The Orlando Magic fell 130-101 to the Atlanta Hawks at Kia Center on Wednesday night, despite the return of forward Franz Wagner from a left high ankle sprain that had sidelined him since Feb. 11. The Hawks secured a four-game regular-season series sweep between the Southeast Division rivals, with Orlando falling behind by as many as 31 points on the second night of a back-to-back.
“Our defense broke down one too many times,” Magic coach Jamahl Mosley said after the 29-point loss. “Our communication had to turn up a little bit and it wasn’t there.” The Hawks were led by Nickeil Alexander-Walker, who scored a game-high 32 points, while Atlanta improved to 44-33 on the season. Orlando dropped to 40-36 with the defeat.
“You’ve got to give Atlanta a ton of credit,” Mosley added. “They have our number in this moment.” The Hawks outscored Orlando 47-26 in the second quarter, opening the frame on a 19-9 run after trailing 28-25 following the first 12 minutes. Atlanta scored 102 points through the first three quarters and finished 15 for 37 from 3-point range at a 40.5% clip.
Wagner played under a minutes restriction in his return, finishing with 12 points on 5-for-13 shooting in 20 minutes of action. “I feel alright,” Wagner said after playing in his first game in more than a month. “It’s definitely an adjustment and it’s going to be part of the process, but it felt good to be out there.” The forward missed his first three 3-point attempts and went 0 for 6 from beyond the arc, adding one rebound and two assists.
“I mean, they scored 47 points,” Wagner said about Atlanta’s second-quarter surge. “I don’t think we were moving the ball really well. More stagnant possessions, a couple turnovers. And the Hawks, since the All-Star break, they’re probably the best team in the league. They do it on both sides and play really fast.” Orlando committed five turnovers in the second quarter that led to eight Atlanta points, allowing the Hawks to score six fastbreak points.
Magic forward Paolo Banchero struggled early, missing his first five shots from the floor and scoring just one point in his first nine minutes thanks to a single free throw. He didn’t convert a field goal until a layup with 2:27 left in the first quarter and finished 3 for 9 from the field for 11 points. Banchero grabbed eight rebounds and dished out three assists but turned the ball over three times.
The Magic’s 3-point shooting woes proved costly, as they made just one 3-pointer in the first half and finished 6 for 32 from distance. Jalen Suggs went 0 for 5 from beyond the arc, Wagner missed all six of his 3-point attempts, and Desmond Bane shot 2 for 6 from long range. The trio combined to shoot 2 for 17 from 3-point territory, allowing Atlanta’s defense to pack the paint and limit Orlando’s interior scoring opportunities.
Although Orlando scored 16 points off 17 Atlanta turnovers, the Hawks countered with 22 points off 18 Magic takeaways. Orlando never led in the second half after falling behind 72-54 at halftime and never cut the deficit to single digits. The Magic missed all six of their 3-point attempts in the second quarter while Atlanta connected on 4 of 8 long-range shots.
The Magic head back on the road for a quick two-game trip, traveling to Dallas on Friday before closing the road swing Sunday at New Orleans. Wagner, who is averaging 21.3 points, 5.8 rebounds and 3.6 assists for the season on 48% shooting from the field and 36.5% from 3-point range, has appeared in only 28 games this season due to the ankle injury.