Offense can't keep up with fast pace By SEKOU SMITH The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Published on: 04/11/06 Orlando — The Hawks made a valiant attempt to return to the their fast and furious ways Monday night. But that speed and urgency they had grown accustomed to of late was no match for the ferocity the Orlando Magic is playing with these days. Making a last-ditch, gutsy effort for one of the still-up-for-grabs playoff spots in the Eastern Conference, the Magic sped up the pace on the Hawks just before halftime and left them behind shortly thereafter to claim a 105-88 win before a boisterous TD Waterhouse Centre crowd of 15,841. It was the Hawks' second straight loss, piggy-backing on Sunday's lethargic 84-83 loss in Minnesota. It was the Magic's fifth straight win and their 10th straight on their home floor. Except for a mini-run midway through the fourth quarter, when they cut the Magic's lead to 83-78 with five minutes to play, the Hawks (24-53) were bystanders for what went on after halftime. They were outscored 22-10 over the final five minutes as the home team steamrolled them when the game was on the line. "As much as we struggled, we were still right there," Hawks coach Mike Woodson said. "We had a chance to get it to three late. Marvin [Williams] made a great steal, but he misses and we get it back and then turn it over. And they make the big play on the other end and that was pretty much the backbreaker right there." With the Magic's offense running smoothly through point guards Jameer Nelson and Keyon Dooling, the Hawks were never able to find a rhythm. It marked their second straight game of offensive frustration. They had just 10 assists and shot 1-for-13 from 3-point territory in Minnesota. They weren't any better Monday, finishing with 10 assists and a 2-for-13 showing from beyond the 3-point line. "I think we're playing out of character as far as our shot selection and not really making plays for each other," Hawks co-captain Joe Johnson said. "It's been a whole lot of me, me, me out there, and that makes the game harder. The results have been two losses, and now we have to get it together back home." Meanwhile, Nelson and his running mates were busy showing off on both ends of the floor. Atlanta native Dwight Howard notched his 56th double-double — he ranks third in the NBA in that category — with 20 points, 16 rebounds and six assists. He was the inside presence for the Magic, along with reserve center Darko Milicic, who came off the bench and tied a season-high with 13 points. Nelson (17 points, six assists), Hedo Turkoglu (16 points, five rebounds, five assists) and DeShawn Stevenson (17 points and six rebounds) did most of the damage from the perimeter for the Magic, who at 33-44 remain very much in the mix for a playoff berth. "They're on fire," Josh Smith said. "They're probably the hottest team in the league right now. They could easily make the playoffs. People better not count them out the way they're playing right now." The Hawks got a nice scoring boost from the bench — Josh Childress (13), Tyronn Lue (12), Williams (11) and Esteban Batista (10 points, 10 rebounds). The bench actually outscored the starters (48-40) as the Hawks fell for the 11th time in a row on the road. 资料来源 http://www.ajc.com/hawks/content/sports/hawks/stories/0411hawks.html --

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