Hawks vs Magic: Projected Beginning Arrangements.
Hawks vs Magic: Game Preview, Injury Report, Projected Starting Lineups
By Jackson Caudell Sports Illustrated Atlanta Hawks News, Analysis and More
Sunday could not have come sooner for the Hawks.
Atlanta suffered its worst loss of the season on Friday against the Indiana Pacers, allowing 150 points, and they are hoping to put that game behind them when they face the Magic on the road tonight.
The Hawks and Magic have faced once already this season in Mexico City and it was a thrilling game. Hawks point guard Trae Young scored 41 points and the Hawks won in the final seconds after trailing for most of the 4th quarter.
This is going to be a matchup of one of the best offenses in the NBA against one of the best defenses in the NBA. Who will come out on top tonight in Orlando? Let’s preview the game and make a prediction.
Game Preview
The Hawks have one of the NBA’s best offenses, but it does not matter when you have a defense like they have.
Even when Atlanta has huge nights on offense, they have to scratch and claw their way to victory because of how poorly they are playing on the other end of the court. Missing forward De’Andre Hunter does not help things, but Hunter alone does not fix the Hawks’s problems on that end of the floor.
The good news is that Orlando does not have anywhere near Indiana’s firepower. The bad news is that that never seems to matter because the Hawks give up points to pretty much anyone.
Atlanta comes into tonight’s game 28th in PPG allowed, 30th in field goal percentage allowed, 19th in three-point attempts allowed, and 27th in three-point percentage allowed. Per Cleaning the Glass, the Hawks are 26th in points allowed per 100 possessions and 30th in effective field goal percentage allowed. They are arguably the worst defense in the NBA.
The Magic come into the game 19th in PPG, 16th in field goal percentage, 28th in three-point attempts, 26th in three-point percentage, 1st in free throw attempts, and 20th in rebounding. The good news for the Magic is that Paolo Banchero seems to be emerging into a star and has been playing really well as of late. The bad news for Orlando is their injury report has a lot of questions on it.
Gary Harris, Joe Ingles, Franz Wagner, and Jonathan Isaac have all been ruled out, while Goga Bitadze, Wendell Carter Jr, Anthony Black, and Markelle Fultz are all questionable.
It could be a rough night.
That is a lengthy injury report and if it falls in the wrong direction for the Magic, it could be a rough night for them. They will still have Banchero and defensive stalwart Jalen Suggs, but most of those guys on the injury report are major contributors. Keep an eye out for any developments today with the Magic’s injury report.
The Hawks come into the game 3rd in PPG, 18th in field goal percentage, 6th in three-point attempts, 17th in three-point percentage, 6th in free throw attempts, and 8th in rebounding. Per Cleaning the Glass, Atlanta is 6th in points per 100 possessions, 16th in effective field goal percentage, 10th in turnover percentage, 3rd in offensive rebounding percentage, and 9th in free throw rate.
Trae Young is coming into this game averaging 17.7 PPG and 11.1 APG (2nd in the NBA). He has been one of the NBA’s best guards this year and had 41 points the last time he played the Magic. Both he and Dejounte Murray are going to have to deal with this tough Orlando defense and Young is likely to be guarded by Suggs, who is having a great season on that end of the floor.
Clint Capela and Jalen Johnson could play huge roles today given that Orlando is not a great rebounding team. If both Carter Jr and Bitadze are out, Orlando is going to have a major problem at the center tonight.
Injury Report.
De’Andre Hunter (right knee inflammation), Mouhamed Gueye (right low back stress fracture), and Vit Krejci (left shoulder subluxation) are all out tonight for Atlanta.
Gary Harris, Joe Ingles, Franz Wagner, and Jonathan Isaac have all been ruled out for Orlando, while Goga Bitadze, Wendell Carter Jr, Anthony Black, and Markelle Fultz are all questionable.
Viewing and Betting Information
Tip-off time: 6:00 p.m. Eastern Time
Location: Kia Center, Orlando, FL
Where to Watch: NBA League Pass, Bally Sports Southeast
Spread and Over/Under: The Hawks will be favorites in Orlando tonight, as they are currently 1.5 point favorites according to the latest odds from the SI Sportsbook and the over/under is set at 238.5
Hawks:
G- Trae Young
G- Dejounte Murray
F- Saddiq Bey
F- Jalen Johnson
C- Clint Capela
Magic:
G- Anthony Black
G- Jalen Suggs
F- Paolo Banchero
F- Chuma Okeke
C- Goga Bitadze
The Magic lineup is impossible to predict until we have further information so this is just a projection. Suggs and Banchero will be in the starting lineup no matter what though.
Player to Watch on the Hawks- Dejounte Murray
Murray has been at the center of most of the trade rumors surrounding the Hawks in the past few days, but while he is still with the Hawks, he is still one of the most crucial parts of their lineup and he has been playing well in the last few games. If Suggs gives Young a tough time tonight, Murray might need to have a big game to help the Hawks win.
Player to Watch on the Magic- Paolo Banchero
If the injury report breaks the wrong way for the Magic, Orlando is going to need Banchero to do everything for them tonight. He just recorded his first triple-double in a win over the Denver Nuggets on Friday and he continues to get better. He is the franchise player in Orlando and an ascending star talent.
Prediction
Again, the injury report for Orlando makes things difficult to predict. If all of those guys play, then I would favor Orlando due to the Hawks’ defense. If some of those guys sit, I think Atlanta should win. For now, I will assume those guys will play and Orlando will win the game at home, even with Wagner out.
Final Score: Magic 117, Hawks 115
