The Atlanta Hawks, a team that recently got Dejounte Murray back from injury, hosted the Orlando Magic on Monday. The Hawks, who have generally played below standard of late, won the game in a contest that was competitive in the final possessions. They put up a one-possession spread in the game, winning by one point among the NBA results for the night. The final score was Orlando 125, Atlanta 126.
Magic @ Hawks Monday: Trae Young scores 37
With the loss, the Magic are now 11-21 on the season. The result ended their impressive six-game winning streak, a streak where they managed to beat the Boston Celtics twice in games that Boston hosted. While Orlando will be disappointed with the loss on Monday, there were some positive takeaways.
Firstly, the Magic were playing their third road game in four days. That's a tough schedule to play through but they were right there at the end of the game against the Hawks. Secondly, Orlando was the team with more energy in the late going of this contest. Orlando won the fourth quarter 31-22 to make a game out of the Monday night affair.
While the Magic lost the game, they were a winning bet on the evening when it came to the handicap. They entered the contest at +7.5 but played the Hawks much closer than that. The Magic remains a very interesting team for handicappers and futures betting. They are perceived as being weak, however, the bottom line is that they keep posting positive results in games and that might lead to some long-shot bets hitting when antepost markets are settled at the end of the season.
Murray and Young performed for the Hawks
Meanwhile, the Hawks improved to 16-15 with the 1-point victory. Murray, who has been out for the last several games, made his return and played 38 minutes. He had 17 points in the game but the leading scorer was Trae Young. He had 37 points in the game and 13 assists for an impressive double-double.
- Further reading: NBA Power Rankings
