Magic blow out Hawks again for 3-0 lead

Basketball Betting Lines

05/08/2010 - Atlanta, GA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Rashard Lewis hit four three-pointers and ended with a team-high 22 points, as the Orlando Magic once again dominated the Atlanta Hawks, 105-75, in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference semifinals to take a commanding 3-0 series lead.

A return to Philips Arena, where they went 34-7 during the regular season, figured to give the Hawks a boost after they lost the first two games of the series by a combined 57 points in Orlando.

But a lifeless crowd and Orlando's 50.7-percent shooting effort resulted in the 14th straight loss in conference semifinal games for the Hawks, who will try to avoid getting swept on Monday. No team in NBA history has ever recovered from a 3-0 series deficit.

"It's very disappointing," Hawks head coach Mike Woodson said. "I figured we would come home and play at a high level and make a series out of it, but we were so flat coming out...I don't think anyone saw this coming."

Dwight Howard recorded 21 points and 16 rebounds, while Jameer Nelson and Mickael Pietrus chipped in 14 and 13 points, respectively, for the Magic, who have won 13 straight dating back to the regular season.

Jamal Crawford had 22 points, while Josh Smith added 15 and 11 rebounds for the Hawks, who shot 34.9 percent from the field.

All-Stars Al Horford and Joe Johnson totaled 11 and eight points, respectively, in the setback. Johnson, who is scheduled to become a free agent in the offseason, was particularly ineffective, making a mere 3-of-15 from the field.

The Hawks shot 7-of-22 from the field in the first quarter and trailed 28-18 following a late Marcin Gortat dunk.

Lewis hit a three-pointer less than four minutes into the second for a 38-22 edge, and ended the half with another uncontested three -- Orlando's fifth of the stanza -- for a comfortable 52-33 cushion.

The break at halftime did little to ignite the downtrodden Hawks, who got as close as 18 in the third. Consecutive Lewis turnaround jumpers around the four-minute mark of the quarter extended the margin to 73-47, and it was 79-55 at the end of the frame.

A 10-0 run -- capped by a Howard hook shot -- made it a 90-59 game early in the fourth and ended any hope of a miraculous comeback by the hosts. The largest differential was 32.

"We were looking forward to a hard-fought game, but we came out and played hard defense and built a big lead," Lewis said. "We don't want to jump ahead of ourselves. We want to take it one game at a time. We're going to keep playing with a lot of intensity."

Game Notes

The Hawks are a dismal 0-13 all-time in conference semifinal series since the round was renamed as such in 1971...The two teams have met just one time previously in the postseason, a 4-1 Magic win in the 1995-96 Eastern Conference semifinals...Vince Carter was 2-of-5 from the field and had seven points for Orlando, which won the battle on the glass, 51-34...Matt Barnes added 11 points for the Magic.

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