Magic Lose Again While the Hawks Get A Win Against the Sluggish Pacers

The Orlando Magic (10-25) look poised to snap their four-game losing streak on Wednesday but the Portland Trail Blazers (27-9) said not so fast in the fourth quarter and came back to get a 110-94 win.

A win looked possible for the Magic as they led for three quarters thanks to a cold Blazers’ offense (41.8 percent shooting) and Arron Afflalo’s 14 points during the second quarter. But Portland showed up in the fourth quarter with 60 percent shooting and five three-pointers.

For the night, Portland’s LaMarcus Aldridge had 26 points and Nicolas Batum had a triple-double (14 points, 10 rebounds and 14 assists–a career high).

Orlando’s bright spot was Afflalo with his 22 total points. He said of the game via the Associated Press, “I thought our intensity was good in the first half. We just got off course in the second half.”

Not helping Orlando was the absence of Nikola Vucevic, who got a concussion in Monday’s game against the Los Angeles Clippers (25-13); he is listed as day-to-day. Rookie Victor Oladipo pinch hit for him, scoring 14 points with four rebounds.

So what’s next for the Magic? They’ll continue their road trip on Friday against the Sacramento Kings (11-22). The Magic have 500/1 odds to win the 2014 NBA Championships.

In other Southeast News…

The Atlanta Hawks (19-17) defeated the Indiana Pacers (28-7), 97-87. They opened Wednesday’s game with a 12-0 run and at one point led by as much as 25 points in the third quarter.

Lucky for them Roy Hibbert was virtually absent from the game as he had two points and four rebounds while going 1 for 8 from the field in his 22 minutes of play. Maybe playing a fourth game over five nights didn’t help matters for this sluggish Pacers team.

Pacers coach Frank Vogel said of his team’s play via the Associated Press, “Guys didn’t have a lot of pop to start the game. Shots weren’t falling, catches were a step slow in a lot of areas. But I’m proud of our guys for battling back in the second half, making it a game.”

Hawks Kyle Korver

But the Hawks would take the Pacers’ off night and in the game, five players scored in double digits. Kyle Korver led with 17 points, followed by rookie Pero Antic (16 points and four rebounds), Jeff Teague (15 points), DeMarre Carroll (11 points) and off the bench, Mike Scott (15 points).

All of the points came without Al Horford, who is out for the season with an injury.

For the Pacers, Paul George led in scoring with his 28 points.

From the win, the Hawks snapped a three-game losing streak while advancing the Pacers losing streak: They haven’t won in Atlanta since 2006, losing 12 straight games there. This is the greatest one for the team versus any opponent.

Looking ahead, the Hawks will host the Houston Rockets (23-13) on Friday. Atlanta sits at 75/1 to win the 2014 NBA Championship.

And because things happen in threes, the Washington Wizards won on Wednesday night with a 102-96 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans (15-19).

John Wall

The Wizards are finding success on the road with their second straight one this week, making it win No. 6 of their last seven away from home. Add in Trevor Ariza’s 21 points and John Wall’s 20 points and who needs the home court.

The second quarter was a game-changer for the Wizards as they went on a 12-0 run to kick things off. By the fourth quarter they had a 23-point lead but New Orleans went on a 21-4 run to keep the Wizards on their toes.

Garrett Temple (six assists) and Jan Vesely (12 points) from the bench contributed solid play while Eric Gordon led the Pelicans with his 23 points.

The Wizards will look for a third straight road win against the Pacers on Friday but they sit at 100/1 to win the 2014 NBA Championship.