Hawks Extend Winning Streak To Ten With 124-112 Victory Over Magic

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Three Western Conference contenders strengthened their play-off positions, while Atlanta extended a long winning run, in a night that featured a career-best scoring show, a triple-double, a landmark 50th victory and another strong defensive finish against a direct rival.

Nickeil Alexander-Walker delivered 41 points for the Atlanta Hawks, Luka Doni powered the Los Angeles Lakers with 36, and Stephon Castle steered the San Antonio Spurs’ balanced scoring. Each result carried weight in tight conference races, with several teams now bunched closely in crucial seeding battles.

The Los Angeles Lakers tightened their grip on third place in the Western Conference with a 100-92 win over the Houston Rockets. Doni scored 36 points on 14-of-27 shooting and produced 23 before half-time, yet defence and Houston’s errors shaped the closing stages more than scoring runs.

Houston turned the ball over 22 times, including nine in the fourth quarter, which steadily shifted momentum. The Rockets had led 88-85 after a Jabari Smith Jr. three-pointer with 6:12 left, but did not score another field goal until the final 30 seconds as the Lakers closed out their sixth straight victory.

The San Antonio Spurs reached 50 wins for the first time since their 1999-2017 streak of 18 straight 50-win seasons, beating the Los Angeles Clippers 119-115. Castle led San Antonio with 23 points, while Victor Wembanyama produced impact moments at both ends during another strong night for the rookie.

The Clippers were without Kawhi Leonard because of an ankle sprain yet started fast, opening with a 17-3 burst and leading 37-29 after the first quarter. San Antonio then controlled much of the next period and a half, overturning the deficit and pushing ahead by 87-63 midway through the third quarter.

Los Angeles answered with a 19-5 run to end the third, then trimmed the gap to six with 4:15 remaining. The Spurs held firm, making key plays and free throws late. Castle added seven offensive rebounds and eight assists, Wembanyama had 21 points, 13 rebounds and four blocks, while Devin Vassell and DeAaron Fox scored 20 and 18 respectively.

NBA Hawks win streak and Magic setback

Alexander-Walker’s breakout performance pushed the Atlanta Hawks to a 124-112 home win over the Orlando Magic, stretching Atlanta’s winning streak to 10 games and halting Orlando’s at seven. Alexander-Walker hit 9 of 14 from three-point range, grabbed seven rebounds and recorded the highest-scoring game of a career that continues to grow.

Jalen Johnson supplied a triple-double with 24 points, 15 rebounds and 13 assists as the Hawks moved to 37-31, drawing level with the Philadelphia 76ers for the Eastern Conference’s eighth seed. Atlanta raced to a 34-21 lead after one quarter and went ahead by as many as 29 midway through the third period.

Orlando answered gradually, cutting the margin to 14 with 6:07 left, but Alexander-Walker connected on consecutive three-pointers to end the comeback. Dyson Daniels and Onyeka Okongwu added 15 points each for Atlanta, whose next four opponents are Western Conference teams before potential play-off previews against the Detroit Pistons and Boston Celtics.

NBA results and play-off standings snapshot

Paolo Banchero and Desmond Bane scored 18 points each for the Magic, while Wendell Carter Jr. contributed 17 in the defeat. In Los Angeles, Darius Garland led the Clippers with 25 points and 10 assists, and their bench combined for 57 points, including 22 from Jordan Miller, 16 from Bennedict Mathurin and 11 from Isaiah Jackson.

The Spurs, now 50-18, improved to 18-2 since 1 February and sit three games behind the NBA-leading Oklahoma City Thunder, who hold an eight-game streak but did not play on Monday. The Rockets dropped to 41-26, staying fourth in the West but only half a game ahead of both the Denver Nuggets and Minnesota Timberwolves in the contest for first-round home court.

The Lakers’ win strengthened their current seeding, while Atlanta’s surge kept pressure on other Eastern teams as the race tightens. Across the league, these results underlined how single nights in March can shift standings, define momentum and sharpen focus for teams already preparing for demanding play-off series.