Atlanta Hawks at Orlando Magic Preview

Preview

We have officially made it to the last game before the NBA All-Star break. While a select few players go to Cleveland for the weekend festivities, the rest of the league heads to South Beach for some much-needed R&R. Meanwhile, blog boys like myself retreat inside for another six weeks of winter.

The Orlando Magic have the second-worst record in the NBA and are in the midst of a complete tear-down rebuild. According to Tankathon, the Magic have a 52.1% chance of landing a top-four draft pick and a 14% chance of getting the highly-coveted number one draft pick.

Franz learning from Captain Hook

📺: https://t.co/tp9SnWyQwy pic.twitter.com/QMDgXVVNGQ
— Orlando Magic (@OrlandoMagic) February 15, 2022

Sure, the Magic are 33 games below .500. But don't tell that to the young core in Orlando. Sophomore Cole Anthony leads the team with 17.6 points and 5.9 assists per game. But, rookie Franz Wagner has started in 59 games and made a fringe case for NBA Rookie of the Year thanks to his 15.6 points and 4.6 rebounds per game.

The Magic need all the help they can get. Their defense gives up 111.6 points per game. Even worse, they only score 103.2 points per game have the third-worst offensive rating and true shooting percentage (53.7 TS%).

Meanwhile, offense is rarely the problem for the Hawks. Last night, they defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers 124-116. Trae Young went off for 41 points and reminded everyone that he is more than capable of putting the team on his back. No small feat for an undersized 23-year-old point guard.

Injury Report

We're still waiting on official injury reports. However, we do know the Magic are without Moritz Wagner (ribs). Additionally, both R.J. Hampton (knee) and Markelle Fultz (knee) missed Monday's night against the Denver Nuggets.

John Collins (foot strain) is still out through the All-Star break. However, given the quick turnaround for the Hawks, I wouldn't be surprised if more players are out tonight.

Odds

SI Sportsbook lists the Hawks as 5.5-point favorites, and the over/under is set at 227.5 points. Even without key contributors, the Hawks should win this game with ease and enter the All-Star break on a relatively high note.

As always, we will be live-tweeting the game and back here later for your post-game recap. Stay locked into Sports Illustrated's AllHawks.com for breaking news, highlights, and analysis.

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