Official Game Thread: Hawks - Magic (Friday)

[lethalweapon3]

“Hey, Elfrid! Medusa called…”

The Chicago Bulls, who arrive at Philips Arena on Monday, own the most road victories (10-3) in the Eastern Conference this season. But guess who’s sitting in second place in that category? How about tonight’s opponents, the Orlando Magic (7:30 PM Eastern, SportSouth, FoxSports Florida)?

Orlando’s spent a lot of time away from the Magic Kingdom so far this season, a league-high 16 games. And, truth be told, they’re pretty good in the black unis and white pinstripes, sporting a 7-9 record compared to just 2-6 at the Amway Center, where the Hawks (15-6, 10-2 at home) and Magic meet up again tomorrow evening.

It’s their success away from home that’s kept Orlando (9-15, 9^th in the East) from making a voyage to the bottom of the Eastern Conference. Coaching up a roster with just four players boasting more than three NBA seasons under their belts (including our old friend, Willie Green), ex-Hawk Jacque Vaughn is in the sweet spot for retaining his job -- the outer end of the lottery, where every win pads his resume and every loss can be chalked up as a “learning experience.”

But for Bradley Beal’s heroics at the close of Wednesday night’s 91-89 thriller, the Magic probably should be at 3-5 at home. Beal scored a layup on a lob from Andre Miller to cap a 7-0 run by the Wizards in the closing minute. After another “One to Grow On,” Vaughn’s crew hops back on the plane, hungry for their third consecutive road victory after wins in Utah and Sacramento. They’ve been pulling those wins off without their leading rebounder, Nikola Vucevic (11.7 RPG, 4^th in NBA; questionable with back spasms, gametime decision), turning to efficient big men Kyle O’Quinn and Dewayne Dedmon to hold the fort. A Steph Curry three-pointer in the closing seconds kept Orlando from pulling off an upset at Golden State back on December 2.

Atlanta’s Kyle Korver is stroking the ball so well from the perimeter (5-for-7 3FGs against the Sixers) that he knows he doesn’t even have to sink buckets to be an offensive threat every night. As displayed against Washington (0-for-4 FGs) a couple weeks ago, Kyle can simply be a decoy and the Hawks (8 wins in a row, 10-1 in their last 11 games), when healthy and sane, can still come out on top. So, who holds the active Threak in the league right now? Why, it’s Evan Fournier (40.8 3FG%)! The third-year Frenchman, who the Nuggets discarded to Orlando to re-acquire Arron Afflalo, has nailed at least one trey in each of the past 29 games.

There isn’t much ball motion in Orlando’s offense (19.4 APG, 28^th in NBA). On Wednesday, the Magic’s assist tally was just half of Washington’s 26. Vaughn has been preferring to go with a dual-shooting-guard starting lineup, featuring Fournier and second-year-guard and part-time crooner Victor Oladipo.

Since Oladipo’s return from a facial fracture he suffered in preseason practice, he and Fournier have shared the top backcourt billing at the expense of rookie Elfrid Payton, who’s in the NBA’s Top-20 for assist percentage (30.4%) and Top-10 for steal percentage (2.9%). The Amadeus-coiffed Payton will have to improve his shooting touch all over the floor (38.2 FG%, 25.0 3FG%, 46.8 FT%), before Vaughn is challenged to find a spot on the top line for him. But absent Payton or Luke Ridnour on the floor, it is Iso-Heaven out there.

The Magic guards work in collaboration with stretch-four Channing Frye to space the floor out and allow either for drives by the guards, pick-and-pop shots by either Frye (6.9 catch-and-shoot PPG, 8^th in NBA) or Vucevic, or post-up opportunities for Vucevic (11.1 in-the-paint PPG, 8^th in NBA). Oladipo, Payton, and Fournier are each among the league’s Top-40 drivers, but only Fournier (46.4 FG% on drives) shoots above 40% when they do.

When none of those options are in play, the Magic can ditch the ball to forward Tobias Harris and hope for the best. And the best is actually what Harris has been giving them. The 2015 restricted free agent leads the team with a career-high 18.7 PPG and ranks 12^th in the NBA with a 43.6 3FG%, way up from 28.0 3FG% in his first three seasons. Among the NBA players averaging 35+ minutes per game, Harris (48.1 FG%) and Vucevic (50.7 FG%) are both among the top-5 in field goal percentage.

Among players with more than four catch-and-shoot attempts per game, Vucevic’s 51.2 FG% ranks him 3^rd in the league behind Kyle Korver (56.6%) and Anthony Davis (51.7%), just slightly ahead of Al Horford’s 51.6%. While his back is improving, if Vooch can’t go, they’ll look to Dedmon (NBA-high 17.8 O-Reb%) and O’Quinn to crash the boards against a Hawks team that has been improving on the defensive glass during their streak (74.0 team D-Reb%, up to 15^th in NBA).

The 76ers’ commitment to steals and blocks (albeit at the expense of rebounding) made forays into the paint pretty miserable for Hawks’ small guards Jeff Teague, Dennis Schröder, and Shelvin Mack, a combined 5-for-21 FGs on Wednesday. K.J. McDaniels played a big role in the Taming of the Schro, who was blocked on three occasions. The guards will find the interior to be a little less turbulent against a Magic defense that produces just 6.6 SPG (21^st in NBA) and 3.6 BPG (29^th in NBA), although Payton and Oladipo will do their part to try and keep them out.

Even with the disastrous game in Cleveland thrown in, the Hawks’ perimeter defense has been pretty sharp (33.5 opponent 3FG%, 9^th lowest in NBA). It remains to be seen whether it’s merely a fortunate string of intrinsically clunky-shooting teams Atlanta has been facing, but foes have had a tough time getting their heaves to go in the nets with guys like Thabo Sefolosha (31.8 opponent 3FG%), DeMarre Carroll (33.3 opponent 3FG%), and even Korver (31.6 opponent 3FG% above-the-break, although 42.4% from the corners) on the floor.

JYD has been helpful patrolling the perimeter, but he’s been paying the price as his team gives up an NBA-high 11.2 second-chance PPG when he’s on the floor. He’ll need his frontcourt mates to continue to improve on boxing out while the shooting guards must provide more help securing the boards on the interior. Sefolosha did just that in an otherwise offensively futile effort on Wednesday against Philly, contributing a team-high eight defensive boards in just 20 minutes off the bench. The Hawks are 9-2 when they concede less than 10 offensive rebounds in a game, one of those setbacks being the double-OT loss in Charlotte.

Philadelphia’s 18 turnovers (including 4 steals from Schröder, 3 apiece by Korver and Carroll) also boosted Atlanta to 8^th in the NBA with 15.0 opponent TOs per game. Atlanta is 13-1 when at least 8 percent of opponent possessions end in a Hawks steal, the one loss being a two-point defeat in San Antonio.

Mike Scott is probably tiring of chicken noodle soup and herbal tea by now, and hopefully he can pass on Grandma's surefire remedies to Pero Antić, who takes his turn dealing with the flu as he misses at least tonight's matchup. Scott's scoring punch was sorely missed during the Hawks’ muck-it-up-fest with the Sick-sers on Wednesday. Scott hasn’t logged 20 minutes in a game since helping trounce the Hornets on November 29, but he’s shot 61.2 FG% in his last six appearances.

Pero's interior defensive wizardry will be missed, his perimeter pump-faking not so much. But due to his ailment, Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer won't be pressed to find more minutes for the other Money Mike. Mike Muscala helped put the Sixers to bed with 5 offensive boards, three assists, and 12 points on 6-for-8 shooting in 19 minutes of action on Wednesday. Balancing floortime for young bigs Scott, Muscala, and (eventually) Austin Spurs star Adreian Payne is a good problem for Coach Bud to have.

Let’s Go Hawks!

~lw3

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[Guest]

Awesome thread as usual! The Orlando Magic are an up and coming team and shouldn't be taken lightly tonight. They are young but have a couple veterans as mention by lw in Green and Luke baby Rid, also Channing Frye. Having said that, we should win this game if we play our game.

GO HAWKS!!!!

Ps Comon Elfrid, take that pile of $hit off yo head...you gone too far with the comedy-Buddy Love(to Reggie Warrington)

[Guest]

What's wrong with Pero?

[lethalweapon3]

What's wrong with Pero?

 

He pump fakes and heat checks too much.

 

Oh, and he has the flu.

 

~lw3

[Guest]

He pump fakes and heat checks too much.

Oh, and he has the flu.

~lw3

Lol good one.

[Dnice]

He and Mike Scott have been hanging too much.

[Guest]

So who gets Pero's minutes? Brand or Moose?

[Guest]

#HawksRising

#Hashtag

[PSSSHHHRRR87]

For the record, the longest win streak in Atlanta Hawks history is 14. We can make it 9 and 10 this weekend!

[JETSET]

Do you think these guys really have the flu or is Bud just giving some guys some rest while giving Muscala a chance to play?

[benhillboy]

#HawksRising

#Hashtag

That was epic.

[Dnice]

My fingers are too short to make a proper # 

[MrMeltdown]

Orlando has some good things going for them. I don't see us beating them twice on back to back nights.

 

Pero is a big loss. We don't have another big that stretches the defense in the manner that he does.

[JETSET]

Orlando has some good things going for them. I don't see us beating them twice on back to back nights.

 

Pero is a big loss. We don't have another big that stretches the defense in the manner that he does.

I think we will miss him more on defense than offense. Especially if Vucevic is active.

[benhillboy]

Pero being out is a big problem, no different than last year. I can't wait for this game, I like the Magic's young talent.

Edited December 12, 2014 by benhillboy

[Guest]

I didn't know until I saw on inside stuff a couple weeks ago that Tobias Harris and Chan Frye are cousins....

Craig, is that yo cousin? -Pinky

Ya, that's my cousin-Dayday

Good, cuz u fired-Pinky

[SalvorMallow]

Orlandos pregame commentators just said they think Paul Millsap will be an Allstar this year.

[Dnice]

This is a boring second quarter.

[MrMeltdown]

Not looking good

[Dnice]

Philly game continued, but this time Orlando is better.