Toronto, Canada – ORLANDO, Florida (Reuters) - The Orlando Magic crushed the Atlanta Hawks 113-81 in a one-sided showdown of the Southeast Division's top two teams Saturday.
The Magic blew out the Hawks with a 37-point second quarter performance to snap a four-game losing streak and stretch their division lead to one and a half games.
J.J. Redick scored 17 points while starting for injured guard Vince Carter, sparking an 11-0 run in the second quarter that led to a 66-37 halftime lead.
"If I'm out there, I'm going to try to play hard," Redick told reporters "The score doesn't matter. I'm trying to prove myself as a player, regardless of the score on the scoreboard."
Redick earned the start when Carter missed the game with a sprained left shoulder
"He's just a guy that I think we've come to trust," Magic coach Stan Van Gundy said. "He's not going to make mistakes. He's a tough guy. He's gonna compete hard."
Seven players wound up in double figures for the Magic, who shot 52.4 percent from the floor and led by 38 points in the third.
Matt Barnes had 18 points and Ryan Anderson 16 to lead Orlando.
So one-sided was the score that Magic center Dwight Howard sat out the fourth quarter, finishing with 12 points.
Center Al Horford topped Atlanta with 14 points.
"They (Orlando) played like they wanted to stay at the top and we didn't," Hawks coach Mike Woodson said in explaining the big loss.
(Reporting by Gene Cherry in Raleigh, North Carolina; Editing by John O'Brien)
Receive your weekly recap of all the happenings around the world of sports.