Basketball Betting

Howard records double-double as Magic rout Hawks in Game 1

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05/04/2010 - Orlando, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Dwight Howard provided 21 points, 12 rebounds and five blocks, and the Orlando Magic recorded one of the biggest wins in team history with a 114-71 drubbing of the Atlanta Hawks in Game 1 of their Eastern Conference semifinal series.

Howard recorded his first double-double of the postseason after running into constant foul trouble in Orlando's first-round sweep of Charlotte. He played only 29 minutes on Tuesday, but it was not because of foul trouble; instead, the Defensive Player of the Year helped the Magic outscore Atlanta, 60-21, over the middle two quarters to rout the Hawks.

"I thought (Howard) played with good poise, good patience down in the post," said Magic head coach Stan Van Gundy. "I thought defensively he was a little tentative early on, but then he started to get involved in the game. Clearly, he dominated the game. When they did come and double (team him), he made good plays. When they didn't double (team him), he made good plays."

Vince Carter added 20 points and six boards for the Magic, who recorded the second-largest margin of victory in franchise playoff history. Jameer Nelson contributed with 19 points, while J.J. Redick had 10 in the lopsided win that saw Orlando shoot 52.4 percent from the field.

Josh Smith had 14 points to lead the Hawks, who are 0-13 all time in conference semifinal series since the round was renamed as such in 1971. Additionally, Atlanta has lost 12 straight conference semifinal games dating back to 1997 after getting swept the last two times it reached this round.

Zaza Pachulia provided 12 points and seven rebounds, while Joe Johnson scored 10 in defeat for Atlanta, which will try to even the series on Thursday at Amway Arena.

The first quarter ended with the Magic ahead, 25-23, but Orlando outscored the Hawks by 39 over the next two quarters to turn the game into a rout.

"We didn't have any juice tonight," said Hawks head coach Mike Woodson. "We'll have to go back and regroup. We didn't play well, we didn't play Atlanta Hawk basketball tonight. It was an ugly game for us on both ends of the floor. I thought we were ready to play...but we didn't put the second, third and fourth quarters together."

The game was tied, 27-27, early in the second, but the Magic scored the next 17 points over five-plus minutes. Redick, Howard and Mickael Pietrus each had five points during the stretch, which ended with a Ryan Anderson basket with five minutes left.

The Hawks scored only 10 points during the entire period, which Orlando finished with a 9-2 run to take a 53-33 halftime advantage.

After Smith's dunk to open the second half for Atlanta, Orlando scored seven straight points, with Howard's three-point play providing a 60-35 lead. The Hawks failed to score in the final 5 1/2 minutes of the frame -- scoring just 11 points in all in the third -- as the Magic grabbed an incredible 85-44 cushion heading to the fourth.

"I was a little surprised with (our lack of rust), especially at the offensive end of the court," Van Gundy said. "I was surprised that we played the way that we did, especially early in the game, but it was good to see."

Atlanta had no chance of making up the deficit in the fourth, and the Magic pulled most of their starters for the final 12 minutes.

Game Notes

The largest margin of victory in Orlando playoff history was 47, which came in a 124-77 win over Boston in the conference quarterfinals on April 28, 1995...The Magic are 9-1 in series when winning Game 1...Orlando has won 11 straight games dating back to the regular season...The Magic won the regular season series, 3-1, and the average margin of victory in the three wins was 22.3...The Hawks beat the Bucks in seven games in the first round...These two teams have met once previously in the playoffs, with Orlando beating Atlanta in five games in the 1996 East semis...Howard finished with three fouls after accumulating at least five in each of the four games against Charlotte...This marked the fifth-highest margin of victory in Orlando history, including regular season play...This is the second-worst playoff loss for the Hawks, who were beaten by 58 on March 19, 1956 against the then-Minneapolis Lakers.