Magic photo for Headline Surfer / Cole Anthony goes for the easy basket with two of his game-high 26 points to lead the Orlando Magic in the win over the Atlanta Hawks 120-95 in the first play-in game. The Magic go into the postseason with the win as the 7th seed against the 2nd-seeded Boston Celtics.
By SERA KING / Headline Surfer
ORLANDO, Fla. -- The Orlando Magic won the play-in over the Atlanta Hawks, 120-95, in the first game of the NBA play-in tournament on Tuesday night.
This secured the 7th seed in the Eastern Conference and advanced to the first round of the playoffs. The Magic finished the regular season 41-41. Last year, the Magic won 47 games in the regular season.
The Magic will now face the Boston Celtics in the first round of the playoffs.
This is the Magic's second consecutive playoff appearance and their 18th time the Magic have made the postseason.
The Magic outscored the 41-22 in the fourth quarter for the runaway victory.
Cole Anthony led Orlando with 26 points, including four of nine from three-point range. Paolo Banchero added 17 points, nine rebounds, and seven assists, while Wendell Carter Jr. scored 19 points and had seven rebounds. Anthony Black had 16 points off the bench.
Trae Young led the Hawks with 28 points before getting ejected with 4:47 remaining after picking up two consecutive technical fouls. Georges Niang chipped in with 15 points, and Mouhamed Gueye scored 12 points.
Banchero said the Magic fed off the energy of the home crowd.
“I thought we did a good job of keeping everyone under control, calm,” Banchero said after the win. “There were some moments where one or two guys would get frustrated at the ref or maybe frustrated with each other real quick, and guys could tell each other to relax, regroup, and shake it off quickly. That’s just what a good team does. That’s what a tight locker room does. And we were able to do that.”
Cole Anthony exploded for 26 points on 10-of-17 overall shooting and 4-of-9 from beyond the arc, Wendell Carter Jr. recorded 19 points, and Anthony Black finished with 16 points.
“It meant a lot,” Cole said of his performance. “It was a big game. I was happy to make the rotation. This was just an awesome game to be a part of. I was just happy to be out there and do something to feel like I was contributing to the team. Great win. But this was a full team effort. ‘Dell, AB, P, Franz, J.I. – everyone who stepped on the court contributed, so it’s a great team effort.”
Banchero didn’t get many open looks with the Hawks loading up on him. But he did fill up the stat sheet with 17 points, including nine from the free throw line, nine rebounds, and seven assists.
Game 1 of Orlando’s first-round playoff series at Boston will be on Sunday. The start time is TBD. It's the fourth time the Magic and Celtics will meet in the postseason. Orlando beat Boston in the first round in 1995 and in the Eastern Conference Semifinals in 2009, while Boston beat Orlando in the Eastern Conference Finals in 2010.
