Hawks beat Magic 132-125 in an opener with 22 lead changes

Nickeil Alexander-Walker stepped back from 27 feet with 1:27 left and made it 125-121. Fifty seconds later he hit again from 25 feet. The Atlanta Hawks beat the Orlando Magic 132-125 on Wednesday night at the Kia Center in the season opener for both teams.

The lead changed hands 22 times. Eleven of those came in the fourth quarter.

Alexander-Walker finished with 31 points on 8-of-15 shooting, with five threes and 10 of 13 free throws. Jalen Johnson had 20 points, 14 rebounds and six assists and assisted on both late threes. Dyson Daniels scored 20 with five steals.

Paolo Banchero scored 35 for Orlando on 10-of-12 shooting, with 12 of 16 free throws and 10 assists. He played 41 minutes.

Atlanta's second quarter

Orlando led 33-23 late in the first quarter, its biggest lead. Atlanta scored 12 straight across the quarter break to go ahead 35-34, then scored 12 more in a row midway through the second for a 52-43 lead. The Hawks won the quarter 44-29 and led 72-62 at halftime.

Onyeka Okongwu made it 79-65 early in the third, Atlanta's biggest lead.

Orlando's answer

The Magic cut it back with an 11-0 run that put them ahead 92-90 with 3:15 left in the third, and Banchero's three-point play made it 98-95. Orlando led 100-99 after three quarters and opened the fourth with a 7-2 burst. Jalen Suggs dunked for a 107-101 lead with 10:10 left.

The fourth quarter

Atlanta answered with seven straight. Jock Landale scored twice inside around a running three from Aaron Wiggins, and the Hawks led 108-107.

From there the teams traded the lead. Alexander-Walker made three free throws for 113-111. Wendell Carter Jr. answered with a tip dunk and a free throw, then a three for 117-116 with 5:33 left. Alexander-Walker's layup and Johnson's running layup put Atlanta ahead 120-117.

Banchero kept Orlando close with two baskets, the second making it 122-121 with 1:37 left. Then came the two threes. Okongwu and Johnson made two free throws each in the last 31 seconds.

What it means

It is one game, and two numbers from it stand out. Atlanta scored 60 points in the paint and made 30 of 36 free throws, so the Hawks won without needing a big shooting night from three, where they made 14 of 36. And Orlando lost a game in which Banchero, Franz Wagner and Carter combined for 79 points, while the rest of the rotation scored 46. Orlando also turned the ball over 20 times to Atlanta's 17.

Scoring

Scoring: Atlanta 132-125 Orlando (Wednesday)

Atlanta: Nickeil Alexander-Walker 31, Jalen Johnson 20, Dyson Daniels 20, CJ McCollum 19, Aaron Wiggins 16, Jock Landale 10, Onyeka Okongwu 8, Luguentz Dort 8, Kingston Flemings 0.

Orlando: Paolo Banchero 35, Franz Wagner 22, Wendell Carter Jr. 22, Desmond Bane 18, Tristan da Silva 14, Jalen Suggs 6, Goga Bitadze 6, Jase Richardson 2, Jamal Cain 0, Nikola Vučević 0.

By quarter: Atlanta 28, 44, 27, 33. Orlando 33, 29, 38, 25.

What is next

Atlanta play at Charlotte on Friday, October 23, at 7 p.m. ET. Orlando host Minnesota the same night.

The rest of the night: Wednesday's NBA roundup.