The Orlando Magic made sure to bring the noise on Saturday at the Amway Center, running the Atlanta Hawks out of the gym with an energetic performance.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T | |
| Hawks | 19 | 27 | 19 | 21 | 86 |
| Magic | 22 | 27 | 31 | 25 | 105 |
Dwight Howard‘s return to Orlando was once again a noisy night.
Orlando Magic fans made sure Howard’s return to Orlando was not welcome, booing him during the Atlanta Hawks pregame warmups. Howard also received catcalls every moment he touched the basketball.
That was not the only noise the Magic would make. Their past was in the building, but their future was shining a little bit brighter.
The Magic were able to show how big things are possible for their future Saturday at the Amway Center in a 105-86 win over the Hawks.
The Magic’s smaller lineup allowed it to run 27 fast break points in front of an electrified crowd. Orlando drilled eight 3-pointers and got help from spots on the roster to help crush the Hawks.
Orlando was able to break the game open right after the second half with some amazing plays on both ends of the court. The Magic took a 14-point lead when Mairo Hezonja, Jeff Green and Elfrid Payton made three straight baskets.
Aaron Gordon, who played his second game at his natural power forward position, was extremely aggressive while grabbing three rebounds, and had 10 points right at halftime, finishing with 18 points for the game.
The Magic led 49-46 at halftime, went on a run to start the third quarter and never looked back. Orlando improved their record to 17-7 when being ahead in the fourth quarter.
Howard finished with only 11 points, he also was able to make 3 of 7 shots and 5 of his 13 free throws.
The future looked better than the past this night.