{{pageModel.leagueAbbr}} {{pageModel.subtitle}} | Las Vegas Review-Journal
National Basketball Association
Atlanta 103, Orlando 100
When: 6:00 PM ET, Sunday, December 20, 2015
Where: Amway Center, Orlando, Florida
Officials: #42 Eric Lewis, #72 J.T. Orr, #22 Bill Spooner
Attendance: 16982

ORLANDO, Fla. - Veteran guard Kyle Korver picked the right time to regain his famed, long-distance shooting touch.

Korver hit four of his five 3-pointers in the fourth quarter Sunday night - including the game winner - to lead the Atlanta Hawks to a 103-100 victory Sunday night over the Orlando Magic.

His shooting slump may be over. Korver scored 13 of his team-high 19 points in the decisive final period.

Korver came into the game with his lowest 3-point shooting percentage (39.5) since 2009, but he responded by hitting six of eight on Sunday. He had made only five of 20 combined in the previous four games.

"This hasn't been my best season, for a number of reasons, that's for sure," Korver said. "This is a game I can build on. It helps to have a night like this. You have to keep trying to find your rhythm."

Korver hit his final shot with 43 seconds remaining to break the tie at 100. The Hawks (17-12) won their third consecutive game.

Reserve Mike Scott had 15 points and center Al Horford and guard Jeff Teague each scored 14 points for Atlanta. Forward Paul Millsap had 13 points and 13 rebounds and forward Kent Bazemore also scored 13 points.

"Obviously, Kyle hit some big shots for us tonight," Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer said. "It's important for us to create spacing offensively. If Kyle gets good looks, we just feel like the ball is going in."

The Magic (15-12) were led by center Nikola Vucevic with 20 points, 11 rebounds and four assists. Forward Evan Fournier had 17 points, and point guard Elfrid Payton had 14 points and six assists. Forward Channing Frye scored 13 points, and forward Andrew Nicholson contributed 12 points and six rebounds. Reserve center Jason Smith had 10 points, all in the final period.

The Hawks buried six of 11 3-pointers in the final period when the lead changed hands eight times. The Magic missed all four of their 3-pointers in the fourth.

The Hawks needed every shot to overcome their 20 turnovers that the Magic converted into 24 points.

Smith scored the Magic's first six points of the fourth quarter, giving Orlando an 84-83 lead. Korver hit his third 3-pointer in the final period to give the Hawks a 91-86 lead.

The Magic, who had their three-game winning streak snapped, led 100-98 when Vucevic scored with 1:38 remaining. They failed to score on their last three possessions. They had the ball after a time out with 9.3 seconds remaining, but failed to get off shot before time expired.

Magic coach Scott Skiles, though, didn't fault the offense. He blamed his defense and an inability to stop Korver in the final period.

"Overall, our defense was terrible, to the point of being almost laughable," Skiles said. "We had pockets of the game where we had good ball pressure and maybe get two or three stops, but overall we just broke down."

The Magic used a 16-0 run in the third period - including nine points from Fournier - to take a 68-63 lead. Fournier scored 15 points in the quarter. His final two gave Orlando a 78-77 lead going into the fourth.

"They hurt us a lot. They are a good team. They made big stops. They made big plays at both ends," Vucevic said. "That's what the good teams do."

The Hawks led 52-42 at intermission, riding a fast start from Horford, who had 14 points, five dunks and five rebounds in 15 minutes before halftime. Millsap had nine points and five rebounds in the first two periods.

Payton had four steals in the first quarter, and the Magic led by many as seven points. The Hawks recovered quickly with a 14-0 run in the second period when the Magic missed eight consecutive shots. Teague scored three consecutive baskets late in the period.

Vucevic had 10 points and a game-high six rebounds in the first half, but the Magic lost their early momentum when they made only five of 19 shots in the second quarter. Nicholson had 10 points in just 11 minutes before halftime.

NOTES: Magic PG Elfrid Payton started the game despite a sprained ankle that hindered him Friday and kept him out of practice Saturday. ... Magic coach Scott Skiles is raving about the defensive play of G Victor Oladipo, putting him in some nice company of defensive players from the past. "I've coached three extremely high level defensive guards: Jason Kidd, Kirk Hinrich and now Victor," said Skiles, in his 14th season as an NBA head coach but first with the Magic. "And they're all similar." ... The Hawks came into the game leading the NBA in points scored off turnovers (20.4 points per game). They are fourth in forcing turnovers (16.8 per game). The Hawks also scored 60 points or more in the second half of the previous two games. ... Hawks PG Jeff Teague came into the game having made his last 23 free throws. He hit just six of eight Sunday. ... The Magic, who play the Knicks on Monday night in New York, were 4-0 before Sunday in the first half of back-to-back sets. ... The Hawks play at home Monday against the Portland Trail Blazers.
Top Game Performances
 
Atlanta   Orlando
Kyle Korver 19 Scoring Nikola Vucevic 20
Al Horford 5 Assists Victor Oladipo 6
Paul Millsap 13 Rebounds Nikola Vucevic 11
Jeff Teague 6 Free Throws Made Andrew Nicholson 7
Paul Millsap 2 Steals Elfrid Payton 5
Paul Millsap 2 Blocks Channing Frye 2
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
Atlanta 103 50.0 11-22 14-20 25 41 7 6 20
Orlando 100 46.9 4-12 20-24 27 36 5 16 13
Upcoming Games
  • Orlando will play their next game on the road against New York. The Magic have a W/L % of .500 after a win and .636 after a loss.
  • Atlanta will play their next game at home against Portland. The Hawks have a W/L % of .562 after a win and .615 after a loss.