ORLANDO, Fla. _ The Orlando Magic desperately needed two things against the Atlanta Hawks:
A better shooting performance after struggling mightily the past few weeks and, most importantly, a win.
Orlando got both on Monday night.
The Magic shot 52.6% from the field and got a much-needed win, defeating the Hawks 135-126 at Amway Center.
The win gave the team a confidence boost with one game remaining before the NBA's all-star break.
The Magic's 135 points and the 42 points the team scored in the fourth quarter were both season highs.
Orlando (23-31) notched its first win of the season against the Hawks in the process and its first win overall since a win on Feb. 3 over Charlotte. Five Magic players finished the contest in double figures with Aaron Gordon leading the way with 26. Nikola Vucevic had 24 points, nine rebounds and nine assists, Evan Fournier scored 22 and Terrence Ross had 21 off the bench. Orlando made 18 3-pointers.
However, it wasn't easy against a pesky Atlanta team, which was coming off a double-overtime win against the New York Knicks a day earlier.
The Hawks (15-40) were as as effective as Orlando shooting the ball from the field shooting at a 53.4% clip and led after the first, second and third quarters. Star guard Trae Young was able to get to the free-throw line at will and was one of six players who scored in double figures.
Atlanta led 96-93 at the end of the third quarter before the Magic took control in the final 12 minutes.
Orlando went on a 11-0 run to take a 127-115 lead with 3:30 remaining in the game.
One of the Magic's best sequences of the night came early in the fourth quarter. Orlando took a 102-101 lead after a Gordon dunk, which was set up by a Mo Bamba tap back after a Ross miss. Gordon dunked the ball after Hawks forward John Collins initially got a piece of the ball.
Following Gordon's dunk, Michael Carter-Williams forced an Atlanta turnover and then passed the ball to an open James Ennis, who finished the possession with a dunk in transition, giving the Magic a 104-101 lead with less than 10 minutes remaining. Ennis, acquired last Thursday from Philadelphia before the NBA trade deadline, then had a putback dunk on the next offensive possession after a Carter-Williams miss.
Orlando held a video tribute for former Magic player and current Hawks forward Vince Carter during the first timeout of the first quarter. Carter, who is retiring at the end of this season, averaged 16.3 points per game in 97 games with Orlando. He made history earlier this season when he became the first player in NBA history to play in four different decades.
The Magic host the Detroit Pistons on Wednesday at 7 p.m. at Amway Center during the final game before the all-star break begins.
