Three Biggest Takeaways From Atlanta's 119-112 Loss to Orlando

The Hawks fell short in one of their biggest games of the season on Tuesday night

Apr 8, 2025; Orlando, Florida, USA; Orlando Magic guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (3) shoots a three point basket during the second half against the Atlanta Hawks at Kia Center. Mandatory Credit: Mike Watters-Imagn Images | Mike Watters-Imagn Images

In their biggest game of the season to date, the Atlanta Hawks fell short on the road against the Orlando Magic. With the loss, the Hawks now lose the tiebreaker against Orlando if it comes to that in the standings, making it increasingly unlikely they are able to climb into the No. 7 position in the play-in tournament. There are just three games to go now, including another matchup with Orlando on Sunday that may mean nothing in the end.

So what are the big takeaways from the game?

1. The Hawks were too sloppy against one of the leagues best defenses

Orlando is a tough matchup for the Hawks given their injuries in the frontcourt, but when you turn the ball over 18 times, five more than your opponent, it is going to be tough to win. There was plenty of poor officiating in this game that favored Orlando, but the Hawks did not deserve to win based on the way they took care of the ball. This has been a problem for the Hawks all season and in the biggest game of the year, it showed up in a bad way.

2. The defense continues its poor trend

The Hawks defense has been really poor to end the season and that was the case last night against one of the NBA's worst offenses. Atlanta allowed Orlando to shoot 50% from the field and 42% from three (14-34). When you allow the Magic to shoot better than you, that is not a good recipe because of how good the Magic's defense is. The Hawks have not been able to contain Paolo Banchero in any of the three matchups this season and he had 33 points last night, leading all scorers. If these two matchup in the play-in tournament, the Hawks defense has to be better.

3. The Hawks supporting cast was not good enough

Atlanta got big nights from Onyeka Okongwu (30 points and 14 rebounds) and Trae Young (28 points and 10 assists), but it was a pedestrian night for most everyone else. After scoring nine points in the first quarter, Caris LeVert only finished with 13. Terance Mann scored zero points in nearly 30 minutes, Vit Krejci could not find his shot, and Zaccharie Risacher was in foul trouble for the entire game. The Magic got good games from Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Wendell Carter Jr to go along with big games from Banchero and Franz Wagner.

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