On Wednesday, in the Orlando Magic’s 135-124 win over the Atlanta Hawks, they scored a franchise-record 50 points in the first quarter. They are the ninth team in NBA history to drop 50 or more points in the first quarter.
Their largest lead of the game was by 29 points. Markelle Fultz finished the opening quarter with 16 points, seven rebounds, and nine assists. “I kind of thought it was halftime almost,” Fultz said on making history.
According to a couple of NBA betting sites, the Magic have the second-lowest odds to win the championship in 2023. Sportsbooks are not anticipating a playoff appearance this season.
Bol Bol on the Magic’s 50-point first quarter and Orlando having eight players score in double figures: pic.twitter.com/dhPYOpsJov
— Khobi Price (@khobi_price) December 15, 2022
“No disrespect, but it was so crazy how well we were doing it. But it was so much fun,” added Fultz. “This game is so competitive that sometimes you lose sight of how much fun it is. Today we had a lot of fun, and a win like this is going to bring out a lot of team chemistry for sure.”
Orlando led the Hawks 50-22 at halftime.
Moreover, it was the first game the Magic scored over 130 points since their 130-129 win against the Golden State Warriors on Nov. 3. They improved to 8-9 at home this season, claiming their fourth straight victory.
Magic scored a franchise-record 50 points in the first quarter of their 135-124 win against the Hawks
Twenty-nine games into the 2022-23 season, the Magic are 9-20 and rank 13th in the Eastern Conference standings. Up to this point, setting a franchise record in scoring on Wednesday night has been the highlight of their season.
Orlando has not qualified for the playoffs since the 2019-20 season. Injuries have been a notable factor, along with questionable coaching decisions. In the 2020 Orlando Bubble, the Magic were eliminated in the first round against the Milwaukee Bucks.
The Orlando Magic have had a bottom 5 offense in each of the past three seasons. Their offense has ranked in the bottom 10 in ten of the last eleven seasons.
They just scored 50 points in the FIRST QUARTER against the Hawks, and Franz Wagner is playing like an emerging star. pic.twitter.com/XNKXlX8LXL
— Bryan Kalbrosky (@BryanKalbrosky) December 15, 2022
“The thing I was most happy about is that they scored 22 points in that quarter,” Magic coach Jamahl Mosley said. “It was the defense that got it done in that quarter, and then from there obviously we let them score a little too much.”
Orlando is averaging 109.1 points per game, which ranks 28th in the NBA. But the team is allowing 113.7 points per game, ranking 15th overall. Defense is the least of the Magic’s problems.
Additionally, Trae Young was active for the Hawks, but the Magic held the two-time All-Star to 19 points. Young is averaging 26.8 points per game this season. Orlando entered this matchup as a three-point underdog.
