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Hawks crush Magic

Apr 14, 2012 - 3:37 AM Orlando, FL (Sports Network) - Jannero Pargo connected on five three-pointers and scored a game-high 17 points as the Atlanta Hawks dominated the Orlando Magic, 109-81, at Amway Center.

Joe Johnson, Josh Smith and Marvin Williams added 16 points apiece for the Hawks, who won for the fifth time in seven games.

Atlanta currently sits a game ahead of Orlando for the fifth seed in the Eastern Conference.

There was some bad news, though, as Hawks' starting center Zaza Pachulia suffered a sprained ankle late in the second quarter and did not return for the second half. He had eight points and four rebounds before leaving with the injury.

Glen Davis and Von Wafer each netted 16 points to pace the Magic, who were playing their third straight game without All-Star center Dwight Howard due to back spasms.

After trading baskets over the opening four minutes of the contest, Atlanta reeled off six straight points to run out to a 14-8 lead.

Back-to-back layups by Glen Davis and Jason Richardson brought Orlando back within two before Johnson's three-pointer sparked a 7-0 run by the Hawks to jump out to a 21-12 advantage.

The Magic would get no closer than five from there and Kirk Hinrich's trey in the closing seconds gave the Hawks a 36-23 lead at the end of the first quarter.

Orlando started the second with a 12-5 push to get within 41-35, but Pargo put an end to the spurt with a three-pointer and the Hawks outscored the Magic by a mark of 21-7 over the remaining seven-plus minutes of the half to take a 62-42 lead at the break.

Atlanta then cruised through the second half, leading by as much as 27 in the third on Pargo's trey within the final minute en route to an 89-64 advantage heading into the fourth and going ahead by as much as 35 in the final stanza as each team rested its starters.

"There was nothing we did well defensively in that game," Magic head coach Stan Van Gundy said. "It was a very, very poor defensive effort."

Game Notes

Magic reserve forward Quentin Richardson left the game in the second quarter after getting hit in the head by Pachulia and did not return...Atlanta won all three meetings between the teams to sweep the season series for the first time since the 1989-90 season...The Hawks improved to 16-16 on the road this year, while Orlando fell to 19-12 at home...Atlanta shot 14-for-35 from three-point range...The Magic went 6-for-28 from beyond the arc.