Hawks Hang on to Beat Magic

The Atlanta Hawks held on and defeated the Orlando Magic, 81-72 on Monday night. The game was very ugly in the first half, as both teams were slowed by illnesses and tiredness.
The Magic fall to 3-7 on the year after suffering their second straight loss, and their seventh loss in their last eight games. Two of their biggest stars, J.J. Redick and Jameer Nelson, both were under the weather and just didn't perform as well as they usually do. The Magic kept close in the first half, but never led again after having a 37-35 lead near the end of the second quarter. Glen Davis was the only Magic player to score in double figures, he had eleven points and Nikola Vucevic pulled down thirteen rebounds.
The Hawks meanwhile won their second game in a row and their fifth in a row at home. Ivan Johnson hit a lay up and got fouled near the beginning of the fourth quarter. He hit the free-throw and the Hawks had a 72-50 lead. Orlando then went on a 20-7 run and cut the lead to nine, but the Hawks strengthened up the defense and held on. The third quarter, was the Hawks' biggest quarter, as they outscored the Magic 24-12.
Only two Hawks scored in double figures tonight. Al Horford led the team with fifteen points and Lou Williams added fourteen off the bench. Zaza Pachulia pulled down eleven rebounds off the bench to lead the Hawks. Josh Smith scored a season-low six points and Kyle Korver scored only five points after scoring 22 in the last game on Friday against the Sacramento Kings.
With the win, the Hawks are now 5-4 on the year. They play again on Wednesday at home against the Washington Wizards. The Wizards are 0-9 on the year after losing to the Indiana Pacers in their last game. Game time is at 7:30 p.m.

Devin Harris drives in against Jameer Nelson of the Magic. Harris had eight points in the game, including two 3-pointers.
Photo Courtesy of yahoo.com