The Atlanta Hawks had everyone other than some guy named Dwight Howard shut down for most of the first quarter. But then J.J. Redick came in and gave the Orlando Magic a spark.
Howard has 12 points and Hedo Turkoglu netted four to post the Magic to a 19-17 edge over the Hawks through 12 minutes in Game One of the two club's first round playoff matchup in Orlando.
Atlanta connected on six of its first nine field goals to build a 13-5 edge with 5:31 left in the first quarter on a bucket by Kirk Hinrich. But the Hawks struggled thereafter, connecting on just two of their next 13 shots as the Magic stormed back in it.
At first, it was just the former Southwest Atlanta Christian Academy star Howard that lead the way. He connected on Orlando's first four shots from the field, while the rest of the team couldn't hit a shot. But then Redick returned for the first time since March 9 due to an abdominal injury, the crowd responded and Redick nailed a jumper with 44 ticks on the clock to give the Magic a 16-15 lead.
Josh Smith reestablished a one-point Atlanta cushion with a layup before Turkoglu closed the quarter with a 3-pointer with 11.7 seconds remaining.
Howard finished the frame 4-for-6 from the field. The rest of the Orlando team was 2-for-12.
Joe Johnson netted five points and Al Horford and Hinrich posted four each for Atlanta, which shot 36-percent (8-for-22) from the field.
Smith grabbed four rebounds for a Hawks team that's not getting killed on the boards and has played decent defense through the first 12 minutes. If Atlanta sticks to this game plan, this one will not be a blowout.