Instant Takeaways From Hawks 114-108 Loss to Orlando

Atlanta needed a win vs the Magic but came up short at home. Here are the takeaways

Feb 20, 2025; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young (11) dribbles against Orlando Magic forward Jonathan Isaac (1) during the first half at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images | Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

Fresh out of the All-Star break, the Atlanta Hawks and the Orlando Magic clashed tonight in an important game when it comes to the Eastern Conference Standings. After beating Orlando on the road last Monday before the All-Star break, the Hawks looked to grab a 2-0 season series lead over the Magic. However, the Magic got the win tonight in Atlanta, sending the Hawks to 26-30 and pulling 1.5 games ahead of them in the standings.

Here are the takeaways from tonight's loss.

1. Atlanta was abysmal shooting from two-point range

The Hawks were 28-64 (44%) shooting tonight from two-point range and missed a ton of shots at the rim. Dyson Daniels (3-14 from the field) and Zaccharie Risacher (4-15) particularly had tough nights shooting the basketball. Orlando is one of the NBA's elite defensive teams, but Atlanta missed some close shots at the basket (47% in the paint) and in a tight game like this one was, it makes a huge difference.

2. Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner carried the Magic

In the game last Monday, Franz Wagner and Paolo Banchero had to do pretty much everything on offense for the Magic. It was not quite the same tonight, but both of the Magic's young stars had big nights. After only scoring two points in the first quarter, Banchero went on to finish with 36 points and 11 rebounds on 11-25 shooting. Wagner finished with 25 points, seven rebounds, and five assists. It is not a secret who the Magic funnel their offense through and both players delivered tonight.

3. Cole Anthony helped close the Hawks out in the 4th quarter

While Banchero and Wagner did most of the work for Orlando on offense, Anthony had a huge fourth quarter to help put the Hawks away. He had nine points in the fourth quarter and hit two straight shots after the Hawks tied it up 101-101. The Hawks kept Anthony under wraps for much of the game, but he hit some big shots in the final few minutes.

4. Clint Capela had an uneven first game back

It had been a while since Clint Capela took the floor for the Hawks and it was an uneven game for him tonight. He was 1-6 shooting and missed several shots around the rim, but he did have one big block on defense and four rebounds. This was certainly not one of his better games tonight and the Hawks need him to provide more on that end.

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