There were few bright spots in the Orlando Magic’s loss to the Atlanta Hawks on Monday afternoon, but not all Magic players turned in duds.
Typically when a team gets blown out like the Orlando Magic did Monday afternoon in Atlanta, the expectation is that the entire team turned in a stinker. That was not entirely true with Elfrid Payton returning in good form and Aaron Gordon keeping the Magic within reach when the game could have easily gone out of hand far sooner.
Even so, it takes more than a two-man effort to save the Magic against a team that won 60 games a year ago and is still largely intact for another run.
The Magic lost their first two matchups to the Hawks this season, but this particular affair was far uglier than the three-point loss in Orlando earlier this season.