Orlando Magic Guard Cole Anthony (50) responds after making a point shot against the Atlanta Hawks at Kia Center in the fourth quarter. Nathan Ray Seebeck-Immagn Image
Cole Anthony scored 13 of 26 points in the fourth quarter surge on Tuesday night, allowing the Orlando Magic to score a playoff berth via a 120-95 runaway visit to the Atlanta Hawks in the Eastern Conference play-in game.
Wendell Carter Jr. tipped with 19 points, Paolo Bancello scored 17 points, and Anthony Black added to the dominant bench effort at 16 for magic. Tips for the best set of Boston Sundays.
Read: NBA: Magic Clinch No. 7 seed wins easily with short handheld Celtics
“It was a massive team effort. By the committee,” said magic coach Jammer Mosley. “All of these guys stepped up, played their roles and followed the game plan.”
Trae Young scored a game-high 28 points and was kicked out by the eighth-placed Hawks. The winner of that game will attract top-seeded Cleveland Cavaliers in the first round of the playoffs.
Orlando’s depth takes over #sofiplayin!
🎯 @wendellcarter34:19 pts (8-12 fgm), 7 Reb
🎯 @the_coleanthony: 26 points, 6 AST in 20 minutes
🎯 @anthonyblack24_: 16 points (6-7 FGM), 4 AST@orlandomagic claiming the 7th seed in East… They’ll face Boston in Round 1 pic.twitter.com/ijfsutxvyy
– NBA (@NBA) April 16, 2025
After seeing a magic score of 18 of the last 20 points in the first quarter, the Hawks have returned to the game after rising to 32-17 after seeing a magic score of 18 points. Atlanta came third in the second half of the third period, then went 79-73 after a 3-pointer that stabbed George Nian’s buzzer at the end of the quarter.
Carter’s jumper was magical 16 seconds after the final period. After that, Anthony and Black were in charge. They combined five three-pointers (by three Anthony) to pull away, which was extremely frustrating for the Hawks, and Young was unable to finish the game after passing the umpire. He drew two technical fouls at 4:47.
Mosley said of the team’s response to the Hawks’ third-year surge: “We were there before. We were in these situations and we played close games at home. The ability to stop and run at the right time was very great for us. You saw the group gather on the floor.”
Anthony shot a 4-for-9 from 3-point range, supporting the magic to a 33-12 advantage over the ARC.
Read: NBA: Magic Top Hawks stretches the lead in ranking
Franz Wagner added 13 points and 13 rebounds to Orlando, while Bancello supplemented 17 points with nine rebounds and seven assists.
The Magic Bench surpassed Atlanta’s counterpart 57-30.
Hawks coach Quin Snyder said, “We have to shoot at 19 or more three people in order for us to win. We were handing them over.”
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Nian finished with 15 points, 15 points for Atlanta, Mouhamed Gueye 12 and Onyeka Okongwu 11. Dyson Daniels had a team-high in rebounds at 12 and received seven support to score seven points.
“The biggest thing right now is that we can now incorporate things into the next game,” Snyder said. “We have Game 1 and Game 2. Regardless of your opponent, we need to move on to the next game. The focus will be on the Friday game. You can shoot the ball more aggressively. Rip it.”
