Hawks Beat Magic to Close Regular Season; Orlando Finishes 41-41

Sunday's regular season finale between the Orlando Magic and Atlanta Hawks was hardly a preview of their Tuesday Play-In Tournament meeting. But after a 117-105 loss, the Magic will hope for a different performance and showing in the postseason.

Orlando Magic guard Jett Howard (13) dribbles defended by Atlanta Hawks guard Vit Krejci (27) during the first half at State Farm Arena. | Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

With both teams playing mostly reserves, the Orlando Magic and Atlanta Hawks' regular-season-closing matinee wasn't exactly a preview of their upcoming high-stakes Play-In Tournament game.

However, the Magic will hope for a different result Tuesday at Kia Center than the one a dull performance earned Sunday at State Farm Arena.

Atlanta defeated Orlando 117-105, snapping the Magic's five-game winning streak in a game inconsequential for the East standings.

The Hawks shot 53.4 percent from the field and drilled 17 threes, eclipsing the Magic's marks of 44.9 percent and 15 threes.

Orlando had poor stretches throughout the contest that forced it to play from behind all afternoon. Atlanta led by as many as 20 points in the win.

Each team had seven players finish in double figures, with Terance Mann's 19 points and Anthony Black's 20-point,10-rebound double-double leading the way for their respective teams. Every available player for each team entered the scoring column.

Jonathan Isaac logged his second double-double of the season with a 12-point, 10-rebound showing. Atlanta's Keaton Wallace made the most of his spot-start, logging a 15-point, 11-rebound, 15-assist triple-double. Hawks reserves outscored the Magic's 59-53.

Orlando's 82-game record still finishes dead even – 41 wins, 41 losses. It's the Magic's second consecutive season finishing .500 or better, the first time that's happened since 2011-12.

Here's what else to note from Sunday's contest and the outlook ahead:

Magic, Hawks sit usual starters

Tuesday's Play-In clash will feature much different on-court personnel than Sunday's regular-season finale.

For a second consecutive game, the Magic gave Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner the afternoon off. Fill-in starting guard Cory Joseph also sat out, and Georgia natives Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (five minutes) and Wendell Carter Jr. (17 minutes) got a brief amount of playing time back in their home state before joining their teammates on the sidelines.

Black, Tristan da Silva (14 pts) and Isaac made spot-starts for Joseph, Wagner and Banchero.

The Hawks sat Trae Young, Dyson Daniels, Caris LeVert, Georges Niang, and Onyeka Okongwu. Atlanta started Wallace, Mann, Zaccharie Risacher (10 minutes), Mo Gueye (seven minutes) and Dominick Barlow.

Banchero-Wagner pair make history

Although Banchero and Wagner didn't play Sunday, they still made history.

Banchero finished the regular season averaging 25.9 points per game, and Wagner tallied 24.2 points a contest. They become the first pair of Magic teammates since Shaquille O'Neal and Penny Hardaway in 1995-96 to each average 20-plus points a game for a season.

That year, O'Neal scored 26.6 points while Hardaway averaged 21.7.

Banchero and Wagner's combined 50.1 points per game is the second-most for a pair of Orlando teammates in a single season:

• O'Neal-Hardaway, 1994-95: 50.2 ppg
• Banchero-Wagner, 2024-25: 50.1 ppg
• Tracy McGrady-Mike Miller, 2002-03: 48.5 ppg
• O'Neal-Hardaway, 1995-96: 48.3 ppg

Reliance on the Magic's historic pairing, as it has been all season, will be heavy the rest of the way. Getting their last bits of relief to finish the year is to their benefit.

Next stop: Postseason

The Magic and Hawks get together again Tuesday night in Orlando for the No. 7-8 Play-In Tournament game (tip time still TBD, TNT).

The winner advances to face No. 2 Boston in a first-round playoff series. The loser will host the winner of Wednesday's Chicago Bulls-Miami Heat matchup in their building Friday evening. Top-seed Cleveland gets the winner of that contest, while the loser's season is over.

Since the adoption of the current Play-In format in 2021, the No. 7 seed has never missed the playoffs. Teams to enter the Play-In seventh in the conference are 6-2 in the No. 7-8 game. The two teams that lost both went on to win their 8-seed elimination game.

Orlando and Atlanta split the season series two games apiece, but the Magic won two of the three games with starters playing normal minutes.

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