Magic 135, Hawks 124: Magic have historic first quarter in fourth-straight win

It was a strong start for the Orlando Magic to say the least.

The Magic set a franchise record for most points scored in a quarter on Wednesday by dropping 50 in the first against the Atlanta Hawks. While doing so, they went up by as many as 29 points in the first en route to a 135-124 victory that extended their winning streak to four games.

The Magic hit 7 of their first 10 shots in the game, with the Wagner brothers combining for three three-pointers. Back-to-back makes from deep by Franz Wagner opened an early 17-4 advantage.

Bol Bol helped cap an 18-2 Orlando run by stripping the ball from behind in the backcourt and feeding Moe Wagner for the lay-in to give the Magic a 22-6 lead.

After Franz Wagner hit his third three of the quarter and Mo Bamba completed a three-point play, the Magic lead reached 20 at 37-17.

The Bamba play was the start of a 12-0 run that was capped with a Terrence Ross three that pushed the lead to 46-17.

A pair of free throws with seconds left in the first by Cole Anthony brought the Magic to the half-century mark, ending the quarter with a 50-22 lead. It broke the Magic’s previous high for points in a quarter of 49, which was set on Feb. 20, 1995 in the third quarter against the Milwaukee Bucks. It was the ninth time in NBA history that a team scored 50-plus points in the first quarter. The Magic's previous season high for points in a quarter had been 43 against the Golden State Warriors.

Franz Wagner led the way in the first for the Magic, who shot 64 percent in the quarter, going 6 of 10 from three. They also made 12 of their 13 free throw attempts in the historic offensive quarter. The Hawks shot just 38.1 percent, missing all seven of their three-point attempts and committing seven turnovers.

But the Magic then allowed the Hawks to score 40 points in the second quarter. De’Andre Hunter nearly outscored the Magic in the second after going 4-for-5 from three and dropping 20 points in the quarter. Hunter scored eight points during a 10-0 Atlanta run to end the half that brought the Hawks within 76-62 going into the break.

The Magic cooled off in the second, shooting 43.5 percent in the quarter. But Bol Bol did produce the highlight of the game...

The Magic lead was cut to single digits in the third quarter when Trae Young found Jalen Johnson for a bucket that made it 89-80 with 6:16 remaining. Markelle Fultz helped the Magic respond with an 8-2 run to push the lead back up to 95-80. The lead again was cut to single digits at the end of the third but Terrence Ross then hit a three at the buzzer to send the Magic into the fourth with a 105-94 lead.

Mo Bamba hit a three to open the scoring in the fourth, pushing the lead to 14. The Hawks continued to linger, with a three by Bogdan Bogdanovic bringing Atlanta within nine with 6:15 left. Paolo Banchero then answered with a three of his own and Bol Bol soon followed with two makes from deep to put the Magic up 124-108, and they held on from there.

The Magic shot 50.5 percent from the field in the win, going 16 of 36 from three and 25 of 30 from the free throw line. They matched a franchise record with eight players in double figures. Franz Wagner led the way with 24 points. Bol had 21 points and seven rebounds, Banchero had 20 points, six rebounds and six assists, Moe Wagner had 17 points and five rebounds, and Fultz finished with 16 points, nine assists and seven rebounds...

Anthony led the Orlando reserves with 13 points, six assists and five rebounds. Ross and Bamba each added 11 points.

It was the Magic’s first four-game winning streak since opening the 2020-2021 season at 4-0. It’s just the seventh time in the post-Dwight Howard era that the Magic have had a winning streak of four games or more.

That streak will now be put to the ultimate test. They head on the road for a four-game trip that begins with two games against the league-best Boston Celtics on Friday and Sunday.