Lost amid all the Kobe Bryant passing Michael Jordan on the all-time scoring list and the Mike Malone firing, was Orlando’s Tobias Harris sinking the game-winning buzzer-beater to end Atlanta’s nine-game winning streak. It wasn’t an easy shot, either.
Before Saturday night’s game against a Magic team that’s looking to move from rebuilding, to playoff contention, the Hawks had won nine games in a row. They were the hottest team in the Eastern Conference, and their current spot as the three seed in the East after starting the season 1-3, is a testament to second-year coach Mike Budenholzer, and a healthy team spreading the wealth around – Kyle Korver God mode doesn’t hurt either.
But they ran up against a Magic team that’s climbing their way out of the Eastern Conference basement they’ve inhabited for most of the last two years. There was also Tobias Harris reaffirming his late-game bonafides.
With just 3.4 seconds left, the Hawks clung to a 99-98 advantage when the ball was inbounded to Harris, guarded closely by DeMarre Carroll. Harris dribbled to near the elbow, getting bumped the whole way by Carroll, and Paul Millsap was in the vicinity to help out. Harris was off balance when he rose on a pull-up for the shot, but it still fell true as the buzzer sounded, ending Atlanta’s streak with a 100-99 Magic win:
Harris had a team-high 20 after the buzzer-beater, and Victor Oladipo showed he’s improved his marksmanship with a couple long-range shots late in the game to keep it close. The Magic moved to No. 9 in the Eastern Conference standings with the win, just two games behind Brooklyn for the final playoffs spot.
Jeff Teague scored a game-high 24 points in the loss. Thankfully for Atlanta, they don’t play in the Western Conference, so the loss didn’t affect their No. 3 conference seed through the season’s first quarter.
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