Final
Stayin' Alive: Magic try to extend set with Hawks
Apr 28, 2011 - 2:37 PM (Sports Network) - It's do or die in Dixie for the Orlando Magic as they try to extend their Eastern Conference quarterfinals series with the Hawks to a deciding Game 7.Jason Richardson returned from a one-game suspension on Tuesday to score 17 points, as the Magic staved off elimination with a resounding 101-76 win over Atlanta in Game 5 at Amway Center.
J.J. Redick netted 14 points off the bench and Ryan Anderson chipped in 11 points and seven boards in a reserve role for Orlando, which took the first step in trying to become only the ninth team in NBA history to come back and win a playoff series after trailing by a 3-1 deficit.
The last team to accomplish the feat was the 2006 Phoenix Suns, who came back to beat the Lakers in the first round.
"The biggest thing is we played with tremendous focus and intensity, really from the start to finish and that's what it's going to take," Magic head coach Stan Van Gundy said. "It'll be much, much, much harder on Thursday and we'll need to play better than we did tonight to get a win there."
Dwight Howard was limited to eight points and eight boards in just under 29 minutes of action after the star center got into early foul trouble. It was the first time all year that Howard finished a contest without double figures in either scoring or rebounding. Jameer Nelson contributed nine points and five assists in the victory.
"From the time we lost Game 1 ... we knew we had to win a game in Atlanta. We didn't get it done the first two times. We're going to have to get it done on Thursday," Van Gundy added.
Josh Smith led all scorers with 22 points and 11 rebounds for the Hawks, who got 12 points from Marvin Williams in a reserve role. Al Horford had nine points and 14 rebounds in the loss.
"Their ability to shoot the three-point shot and their all-around game inside the paint was key for them," Smith said. "They needed their 'A-Game' in order to win this game and force a Game 6 and they played their hearts out tonight. I tip my hat off to them, but we are still on a mission and we still have something to accomplish on Thursday. Our destiny is in our own hands."
Richardson and Hawks center Zaza Pachulia had been suspended for Game 4 after they were involved in an altercation late in Game 3. Pachulia was held to four points and two assists in his return.
"We lost our composure very early in the game," Hawks head coach Larry Drew said. "We took bad shots and had blown defensive assignments."
This year's series between the two teams has been a stark contrast from last season when Atlanta and the Magic met in the East semifinals. Orlando swept that one and recorded the largest victory margin in a four-game sweep in NBA playoff history, winning the series by a total of 101 points. The Hawks lost all four contests in that set by an average of over 25 points per contest and the closest they ever came in the series was a 98-84 setback in Game 4.
The two teams have met twice in the postseason previously, last year's shellacking by Orlando along with a 4-1 Magic win in the 1995-96 Eastern Conference semifinals.
Game 7 in the set, if necessary, will be back in central Florida on Saturday.
- ORLANDO: 81
ATLANTA: 84
Final
Apr 28 10:04 PM - ORLANDO: 55
ATLANTA: 62
End of 3rd
Apr 28 9:25 PM - ORLANDO: 36
ATLANTA: 42
Halftime
Apr 28 8:40 PM - ORLANDO: 18
ATLANTA: 23
End of 1st
Apr 28 8:09 PM - ORLANDO: 0
ATLANTA: 0
1st Quarter - 12:00
Apr 28 7:43 PM
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