Magic Snaps Road Losing Streak, Hawks Lose Again
On Wednesday, the Orlando Magic (18-42) defeated the Philadelphia 76ers (15-43) 101-90, ending a 16-game losing streak on the road.
So when was the last time they had won? Back on Dec. 16 in Chicago.
As for the 76ers, they ended the month of February without a win (0-11) and now own a 12-game losing streak.
The Magic’s streak snapped from strong second-half defensive play after entering halftime behind 44-40 and a fourth quarter full of scoring including Jameer Nelson’s 12 points (16 for the night and 12 assists). Nik Vucevic led in scoring with his 21 points and 13 rebounds. Victor Oladipo contributed 17 points while Maurice Harkless and Tobias Harris each scored 13.
Magic coach Jacque Vaughn said of the game via the Associated Press, “We did some really good things in the fourth quarter. We were smarter in the second half and smarter in the fourth quarter by making them take shots and make plays over us.”
Once again Orlando’s leading scorer (19.7 points per game), Arron Afflalo (ankle), sat on the sidelines for a third consecutive game.
As for the 76ers, they have lost their February games by an average of 20.3 points per game. In this one, Thaddeus Young led in scoring with 19 points with Tony Wroten adding 15 points, Eric Maynor at 13 and Henry Sims with 10.
So where does Philadelphia go from here? They already have their eyes on next year as they’ve amassed draft picks and opened up salary cap room. The team also bought out Danny Granger’s contract on Wednesday and picked up a second-round 2015 draft pick. Granger will now look to clear waivers by Friday and sign with another team.
With the calendar turning to March on Saturday, the 76ers will seek an end to their losing streak against the Washington Wizards (29-28). The Wizards sit at 100/1 to win the 2014 NBA Championship.
As for the Magic, they’ll play the Miami Heat (40-14) on Saturday. Miami is 5/4 to again win the Championship.
In other Wednesday action from the Southeast Division, the Atlanta Hawks (26-31) lost to the Boston Celtics (20-39), 115-104.
This represented the Hawks’ 10th loss over 11 games and an end to the Celtics’ five-consecutive losses.
Both teams entered the game battling the injury bug but Celtics coach Brad Stevens inserted Jerryd Bayless’ as a starter and the plan worked: he had a season-high night with his 29 points. Rajon Rondo contributed 22 points and 11 assists (double-double No. 3 out of his last four games) and was one of six players to hit double figures for the night.
The Celtics also outrebounded the Hawks, 46-29, to help with a win.
Jeff Teague
For Atlanta, also with a decimated roster including starters Al Horford and Paul Millsap watching from the sidelines, it left Jeff Teague to lead in scoring with 26 points and DeMarre Carroll, who came from the bench, added 24 points. Kyle Korver contributed some 3-point magic (four) with 17 total points for the game.
Hawks coach Mike Budenholtzer said of the matchup via the Associated Press, “I think there was a lot of length, a lot of size that we are battling, and I think that when you look at the shot disparity, I think they had 90 shots to our 76, and I think they had 17 more rebound. “We had more turnovers, they had more offensive rebounds and all of that just becomes too much to overcome.”
Fortunately, even with their mounting losses, the Hawks still own the eighth spot for the Eastern Conference. They’ll move along with the talent they have and play the Phoenix Suns (33-24) on Sunday.
The Hawks sit at 150/1 to win the 2014 NBA Championship.
Thursday’s Games
The division has two games on Thursday. This includes the Wizards at the Toronto Raptors (32-25) (-5, 195 o/u) and the New York Knicks (21-36) at Miami (-9.5, 201.5 o/u).
