National Basketball Association
Atlanta 117, Orlando 110
When: 7:30 PM ET, Saturday, December 9, 2017
Where: Philips Arena, Atlanta, Georgia
Officials:
#8 Marc Davis, #35 Jason Goldenberg, #39 Tyler Ford
Attendance:
12719
By The Sports Xchange
ATLANTA -- Atlanta guard Kent Bazemore saved his best for the second half on Saturday, particularly in the final minute of the game.
The veteran guard scored 19 points, 17 of them in the second half. He had two steals, two dunks and two free throws in the final 40 seconds to help the Atlanta Hawks secure a 117-110 win over the Orlando Magic on Saturday at Phillips Arena.
The win helped Atlanta avenge Wednesday's overtime loss to Orlando and snapped a two-game losing streak. Orlando has dropped two straight.
"We made winning plays in the last 90 seconds of the game," Atlanta coach Mike Budenholzer said. "Kent Bazemore -- his activity, his competitiveness, obviously the steal in the middle of the court. But the activity, length and arms on the inbounders makes it difficult."
With the game tied 110-110, Bazemore took the ball from Jonathon Simmons and scored on a running dunk. After Shelvin Mack missed a 3-pointer, Bazemore grabbed the rebound, was fouled by Nikola Vucevic and hit two free throws.
Orlando called timeout with 21.6 seconds left, but Bazemore ended any hopes of a miracle when he stole Elfrid Payton's inbounds pass and scored on another running dunk to give Atlanta a six-point spread.
"Bazemore made three huge plays," Vucevic said. "A lot of credit to him for that. Three huge defensive plays at the end."
Atlanta (6-19) was led by Ersan Ilyasova, who was 9 of 9 from the field, 5 of 5 on 3 pointers and 3 of 5 from the line, and scored a season-high 26 points. Dennis Schroder scored 18 points, including a pair of free throws that tied the game at 110. Reserves Tyler Cavanaugh added 14 points and Marco Belinelli scored 13.
Ilyasova became only the fourth Atlanta Hawk to be perfect from the floor on at least nine attempts.
"I did not see him miss," Budenholzer said. "I thought the one offensive rebound he got was huge."
Orlando (11-17) got a career-high 29 points from Simmons and a triple-double from Vucevic, who had 31 points, 13 rebounds and a career-high 10 assists. The Magic were playing without starters Evan Fournier, Aaron Gordon and Jonathan Isaac.
Vucevic was a force on the inside and the outside, where he made four 3-pointers. He made 13 of 18 shots and wound up with the first triple-double of his career.
"We had some guys down," Vucevic said. "I wanted to try to carry this team any way I can. It's not easy, especially when you have three starters out. I thought we gave a lot of good effort. We just came up short at the end."
Atlanta surged into the lead in the first quarter on the strength of three 3-pointers from Ilyasova, part of a 10-0 run. The Hawks led by as many as 11 points and finished the quarter with a 32-22 lead.
The Hawks led by 10 with 8:52 left in the half when Cavanaugh made a 3-pointer. But the Magic got hot and outscored Atlanta 16-5 and took a 43-42 lead on Mack's basket with 5:29 left. Orlando's lead was short-lived, as the Hawks regained the advantage and led 57-54 at halftime.
Orlando grabbed an 81-80 lead on Wes Iwundu's runner with 2:56 left in the third quarter and twice led by three, only to see Atlanta answer with 3-pointers to tie the game. The Hawks led 89-87 when Isaiah Taylor drove for a basket with 1.9 seconds left.
The game went back-and-forth all night, with eight lead changes and 11 ties. It was similar to Wednesday's game, which Orlando won 110-106 in overtime.
"We've been in a lot of games," Budenholzer said. "We've given ourselves opportunities and we're trying to learn from those. Tonight, to have a little bit of success, to do it with our defense was huge. When you're getting steals and laying it in the basket, getting free throws, it just makes everything so much easier those last 90 seconds."
NOTES: Orlando F Aaron Gordon did not play because of a concussion suffered Friday against Denver. His spot in the starting lineup was taken by Mario Hezonja. ... Inactive for Atlanta were F John Collins (left AC joint), C Dewayne Dedmon (left tibia), F Mike Muscala (left ankle) and G Josh Magette. Inactive for Orlando were: F Evan Fournier (right ankle), Jonathan Isaac (right ankle), G Terrence Ross (right MCL), C Kheem Birch and G Jamel Artis. ... Collins went through pregame workouts without a brace or wrap on his shoulder, indicating he may return soon. ... Atlanta plays again on Sunday at New York. Orlando returns home on Wednesday to host the Los Angeles Clippers.
Top Game Performances
Orlando |
|
Atlanta |
Nikola Vucevic 31 |
Scoring |
Ersan Ilyasova 26 |
Nikola Vucevic 10 |
Assists |
Kent Bazemore 7 |
Nikola Vucevic 13 |
Rebounds |
Luke Babbitt 8 |
D.J. Augustin 3 |
Free Throws Made |
Dennis Schroder 5 |
D.J. Augustin 3 |
Steals |
Kent Bazemore 3 |
Mario Hezonja 1 |
Blocks |
Taurean Prince 3 |
Team Stats Summary
Team |
Points |
FG% |
3PM-3PA |
FTM-FTA |
Assists |
Rebounds |
Blocks |
Steals |
Turnovers |
Orlando
|
110 |
48.9 |
13-34 |
7-8 |
39 |
39 |
2 |
7 |
12 |
Atlanta
|
117 |
51.2 |
17-33 |
18-25 |
33 |
40 |
6 |
7 |
12 |
Upcoming Games
-
Atlanta will play their next game on the road against New York. The Hawks have a W/L % of .000 after a win and .300 after a loss.
-
Orlando will play their next game at home against L.A. Clippers. The Magic have a W/L % of .364 after a win and .412 after a loss.