Sports
Late Alexander-Walker 3s seal Atlanta’s 132-125 win over Orlando
Nickeil Alexander-Walker scored 31 points, including two late 3-pointers, as the Hawks opened their season with a road victory over the Magic. Atlanta overcame a double-digit deficit and survived a close call involving Jalen Johnson to pull away late.
The Atlanta Hawks opened the season with a 132-125 win over the Orlando Magic on Wednesday night at Kia Center, led by Nickeil Alexander-Walker’s 31 points and a strong second-half finish.
Alexander-Walker hit a pair of 3-pointers in the closing stretch. His second, from 25 feet with 51 seconds left, put Atlanta ahead 128-123. Dyson Daniels and Jalen Johnson added 20 points apiece, while C.J. McCollum scored 19 and Aaron Wiggins had 16.
Orlando’s Paolo Banchero finished with 35 points and 10 assists. Franz Wagner and Wendell Carter Jr. each scored 22. Banchero helped the Magic take their first second-half lead with a three-point play during an 11-0 run late in the third quarter, making it 98-95 with two minutes left in the period.
Atlanta had trailed by double digits before turning the game around with a 44-29 second quarter and taking a 72-62 halftime lead. The Magic’s third-quarter surge put the result back in doubt, but the Hawks did not trail again after a key officiating review in the fourth.
With 4:27 remaining, Johnson was initially called for an offensive foul after contact with Desmond Bane, a ruling that would have appeared to foul Johnson out. Hawks coach Quin Snyder challenged the call, and replay showed Bane made the first illegal contact. The call was overturned with Atlanta leading 120-117.
The victory extended Atlanta’s winning streak against Orlando to six games and spoiled the debut of Magic coach Sean Sweeney. The Hawks’ next game is Friday at the Charlotte Hornets.