Magic don’t have an answer for Young
Hawks point guard drops 39 points to lead Atlanta by Orlando
ATLANTA — Atlanta Hawks point guard Trae Young proved to be too much for the Orlando Magic.
Young scored 39 points, including five key points late in the fourth quarter, to help lead the Hawks to a 103-99 victory over the Magic on Saturday at State Farm Arena.
Evan Fournier scored 23 points to lead the Magic (1-1), who struggled offensively for much of the game and shot just 35.7% from the field.
Nikola Vucevic had 16 points and 10 rebounds for his second double-double of the season, while D.J. Augustin added 14 points and Markelle Fultz had 12 points for the Magic, who went 4-0 against the Hawks last season.
Young wound up 16 of 25 from
Hawks guard Trae Young passes under the basket around Magic center Nikola Vucevic Saturday.
the field and was the only starter to reach double figures for the Hawks (2-0). It was the second straight game he eclipsed the 30-point mark.
With the game tied at 97-97,
Fournier missed a threepoint attempt and the Hawks rebounded. Young then beat Fultz to the basket for a left-handed layup that put the Hawks ahead.
Vucevic had his shot blocked on the ensuing possession, and Young followed with a step-back three-pointer off the glass to make it a 102-97 lead with 25.1 seconds left.
Young’s reverse layup with 2:11 left had put the Hawks in front 97-96 before Fournier tied it with a free throw.
The Magic outscored the Hawks 24-8 from the free-throw line.
The Magic return to action Monday when they
face the defending champion Toronto Raptors at Scotiabank Arena. The games tips off at 7:30 p.m.
VUCEVIC’S MILESTONE: Vucevic takes a lot of pride in having spent nearly all of his career with one team.
So when Vucevic was in the starting lineup for Wednesday’s season opener against the Cleveland Cavaliers, he had another reason to be proud as he reached one more milestone with Orlando.
It marked his eighth straight opening-night start in a Magic uniform.
Only Nick Anderson, the franchise’s first draft pick, has more openingnight starts with nine.
“It was great being of the few guys that one has that many opening-night starts. It means a lot to me,” Vucevic said. “It’s hard nowadays to stay with a franchise for a long time and I’ve been able to do that.”
Jameer Nelson and Dwight Howard also made eight opening-night starts for the Magic.
Being in the company of players who have made significant contributions to the franchise was not lost on Vucevic.
“When you look at the other names on that list it makes it mean even more,” Vucevic said. “Hopefully I get to the top of that list in a few seasons. It’s something that I take a lot of pride in being able to stay here a long time.”