Field Level Media
Feb 25, 2024
Dejounte Murray and Jalen Johnson each had a double-double and sparked the Atlanta Hawks to a 109-92 win over the visiting Orlando Magic on Sunday to end a three-game losing streak.
Murray had 25 points, making 11 of 20 shots from the field with two 3-pointers, plus 11 assists and nine rebounds. Johnson had 21 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists.
Both teams were playing without their leading scorers. Orlando was missing Paolo Banchero, who was out with an illness, and Atlanta was minus Trae Young, who will be out at least four weeks with a finger injury.
The win gave Atlanta a 3-1 series win over Orlando.
The Hawks also got 18 points from De'Andre Hunter, 17 from Bogdan Bogdanovic and 12 from Saddiq Bey.
Orlando was led by Franz Wagner's 19 points and eight rebounds, and Wendell Carter Jr, who tallied 18 points and 10 rebounds. Cole Anthony scored 15 points, Jalen Suggs had 14 with six assists and Caleb Houstan added 12 points. The loss ended Orlando's three-game winning streak.
The Magic led 22-19 after one quarter and 51-45 at halftime. Orlando was up 69-65 after Wagner's layup with 4:39 left in the third quarter, but the Hawks finished the period on an 18-1 run to go ahead 83-70 entering the fourth. Murray scored 12 of his 16 points in the quarter during that stretch.
Atlanta continued its momentum in the fourth quarter and led by as many as 20. Orlando got as close as 98-89 with 3:39 left, but Atlanta scored seven straight to put the game away.
The Hawks learned Sunday morning they will be without Young for at least four weeks after he suffered ligament damage to his left pinkie finger in Friday's game against Toronto. Young averages a team-high 26.4 points and 10.8 assists. An MRI revealed a tear of the radial collateral ligament in the finger. He will have surgery on Tuesday in New York and will be re-evaluated in a month.
The Hawks complete a three-game homestand on Tuesday against Utah. The Magic return home to face Brooklyn and start a three-game homestand on Tuesday.
--Field Level Media