Dwight Howard was once again dominant, but his team is now one loss away from elimination.
ATLANTA – As Hedo Turkoglu’s three-point-attempt clanked off the back of the rim, the Atlanta Hawks took a 3-1 series lead over the Orlando Magic in the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals. Orlando never led in the contest and trailed by as many as 16 in the second quarter. Orlando was able to tie the game twice in the fourth quarter; once at 68-68 and then again at 76. Joe Johnson sparked a late 8-1 run for the Hawks to take a 84-77 lead with just more than a minute and a half to play.
Orlando answered with a 6-0 run to pull within one with 20 seconds remaining. With the score 88-85 with 10.5 seconds remaining, Orlando had one shot to tie. Atlanta’s Al Horford knocked the ball from Orlando’s Hedo Turkoglu, but Turkoglu was able to recover and get off a decent look at the basket. But Turkoglu’s potential game-tying three just grazed back rim as the Magic took the 88-85 loss and fell behind 3-1 in the series.
Dwight Howard was once again stellar for Orlando finishing with 29 points and 17 rebounds after scoring just five in the first half. Gilbert Arenas scored 20 off the Orlando bench after not playing at all in Game 3. Atlanta was led once again by Jamal Crawford who scored 25 while Joe Johnson finished with 20. Kirk Hinrich and Al Horford each added 14. Horford led the Hawks with 12 rebounds. Orlando’s Jason Richardson and Atlanta’s Zaza Pachulia were both suspended for Game 4 for their altercation late in Game 3. Game 5 will be in Orlando on Tuesday night. Orlando has reached the Eastern Conference Semifinals in each of the last three seasons; the Magic will have to win the next three games to keep that streak in tact.
