• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers

Magic seek rare victory over Hawks

Mar 10, 2008 - 1:51 PM Atlanta (26-36) at Orlando (40-24) 7:00 pm EDT

ORLANDO, Florida (Ticker) -- Facing the Atlanta Hawks seems to bring out the worst in the Orlando Magic.

The Magic have already tied last season's win total with 18 games remaining. Orlando owns victories over Boston and Detroit and is 8-1 against the Southeast Division - not counting the Hawks.

The Magic have lost and three straight and four of their last five games against Atlanta, including a 98-87 home defeat on December 10. Orlando is averaging only 88 points against the Hawks in the last five meetings.

The Magic are 7-2 in their last nine games, but are coming off a 104-95 loss to Golden State on Saturday that snapped a three-game winning streak.

The Hawks are coming off a pair of victories on Saturday over the lowly Miami Heat. Atlanta won the scheduled game, 97-94, after replaying the final 51.9 seconds of a protested 114-111 victory in a game that started in December. The sweep moved the Hawks into eighth place in the Eastern Conference, a half-game ahead of New Jersey.

"It's a great thing to get those wins," said Atlanta shooting guard Joe Johnson, who scored 28 of his 39 points in the regularly scheduled game during the first half. "That's all that matters."