McGrady scored 28 of his 32 points in the first half as the Orlando Magic manhandled the Atlanta Hawks, 129-94, on Friday to extend their season-high winning streak to four games.
The All-Star dubbed the Chicago Bulls and the Hawks "cupcakes" on Monday following a win over Memphis. The Magic defeated all three teams during a homestand by 42, 28 and 35 points, respectively.
 Mike Bibby and the Kings were solid from outside. Paul Chapman NBAE/Getty Images |
"I give up on trying to read Tracy," Orlando coach Doc Rivers said. "I actually almost thought the opposite. I was looking at him before the game and I didn't know if he was sleeping or resting or what the heck he was doing. I told our coaches before the game, `I don't know if I feel good about this one.'"
The Magic led, 70-44, at the break. The first-half points were their most since dropping 74 on the Milwaukee Bucks on February 20, 1995.
"Obviously when a team shoots as well as they did it's a combination of them playing well and us not getting it done defensively," Atlanta coach Lon Kruger said. "Certainly credit the Magic, but we have to do a better job of contesting shots."
Orlando shot 59 percent (20-of-34) from the field in the first half, including 9-of-15 3-pointers, while limiting Atlanta to 36 percent (16-of-44).
"If guys took as much pride on the defensive end as much as they do on the offensive end, we'd be a hell of a ballclub," McGrady said. "Each game, we're getting better on the defensive end and it's showing out there."
In the second quarter, the Magic made 16-of-18 free throws while the Hawks made just 2-of-3.
Rivers rested his starters in the fourth quarter, but the team still recorded a season-high point total. Mike Miller contributed 22 points and Troy Hudson added 20 on 6-of-8 shooting off the bench. Hudson made 3-of-4 from the arc.
Jason Terry scored 21 points for Atlanta, which lost for the sixth time in seven games. The Hawks have lost seven of their last eight matchups with the Magic and have not won in Orlando since March 1999, a span of five games.
"McGrady is difficult because everybody around him understands their role," Terry said. "They understand for their team to be successful, he has to have the ball and he has to have shots and get open to make those shots. He gets in position to be able to score."
Hawks forward Shareef Abdur-Rahim left with a bruised right hip in the first quarter and did not return. He finished with six points in 10 minutes.
"That is our guy inside," Terry said. "Anytime he goes down it is going to be a struggle. We just have to bounce back tomorrow night with or without him. It is going to be the same team and same game plan. We just have to be more effective."
The Magic played without Grant Hill, who was placed on the injured list Friday after missing five of the team's last six games with a sore left foot.
Orlando's return game with Atlanta on Saturday begins a six-game road trip, the last five against Western Conference opponents.
"Tomorrow is going to be a tough game," Rivers said. "It's (a) back-to-back game and those are very difficult. Abdur-Rahim will probably play tomorrow and they will come at us tomorrow. It will be interesting to see how we come out."