Hawks vs Magic: Game Preview, Injury Report, Projected Starting Lineups

For the third time this year, Atlanta and Orlando will square off, but this will be the first time that the two teams have played in Atlanta.

The Hawks are coming off of a win vs the Spurs, but it was nearly a disaster. Atlanta led by as much as 35 points in that game, but San Antonio got it dwindled down to six before the Hawks pulled away for good. This team has not been playing well lately and trade rumors dominate any conversation around the Hawks.

The Magic started off the year as one of the NBA's biggest surprises and they looked like they might be making a surprise run to a top-four seed in the Eastern Conference. Injuries have played a factor, but this team has slowed down in recent weeks. Still, they are one of the NBA's best defenses and a budding superstar Paolo Banchero.

So who will win tonight's game? Let's preview it and make a prediction.

Game Preview

Atlanta is supposed to have one of the best offenses in the NBA and while some numbers suggest it is among the NBA's best, it has dropped off in some areas.

The Hawks are 4th in the NBA in PPG, but their shooting numbers are concerning. Atlanta is 22nd in field goal percentage, 6th in three-point attempts, 16th in three-point percentage, 6th in free throw attempts, 7th in rebounding, and 17th in turnovers. Atlanta takes a lot of threes but does not hit an exceptionally high number of them and they are not a high-percentage shooting team.

Per Cleaning the Glass, Atlanta is 11th in points per 100 possessions, 21st in effective field goal percentage, 13th in turnover percentage, 4th in offensive rebounding, and 8th in free throw rate. Atlanta is a good rebounding team and knows how to get to the free-throw line. That is the strength of their offense.

Trae Young is coming off of a 36-point, 13-assist game against the Spurs, a game in which he became the 10th youngest player in NBA history to reach 10,000 points. He is having an exceptional season, averaging 27.5 PPG and 10.9 APG, second in the NBA. He is among the All-Star conversation and he should be.

Jalen Johnson is having a monster breakout season for the Hawks and might be trending toward being their second-best player. He is a strong rebounder and makes highlight dunks in nearly every game. Johnson is averaging 15.0 PPG and 8..3 RPG. Against the Spurs, he had 16 points, 10 rebounds, seven assists, and six steals.

Dejounte Murray is having an efficient season for the Hawks, averaging 20.8 PPG, 4.8 RPG, and 4.8 APG. Despite all of the trade rumors surrounding him, he continues to play solid basketball.

The Hawks are going to be going against a good defense and one of the best defenders in the NBA. Jalen Suggs is going to be tasked with guarding Young or Murray tonight and he is an aggressive defender, even fouling out in the last matchup.

Orlando is 5th in PPG allowed, 17th in field goal percentage allowed, 5th in three-point attempts allowed, and 8th in three-point percentage allowed. Per Cleaning the Glass, Orlando is 3rd in points allowed per 100 possessions and 12th in effective field goal percentage allowed.

The top playmaker on the Magic is second-year forward Paolo Banchero, who is making an All-Star case for himself this season. Banchero is averaging 22.8 PPG, 7.1 RPG, and 4.9 APG this season and has been one of the NBA's breakout stars. With Franz Wagner still out with an injury though, he is the only offensive weapon that should put fear into the Hawks.

As good as their defense is, Orlando lacks a lot of things on offense, especially shooting. The Magic are 24th in PPG, 18th in field goal percentage, 25th in three-point attempts, 29th in three-point percentage, 3rd in free throw rate, 14th in rebounding, and 25th in turnovers. Per Cleaning the Glass, Orlando is 24th in points per 100 possessions, 24th in effective field goal percentage, 25th in turnover percentage, 9th in offensive rebounding percentage, and 5th in free throw rate. In the last matchup between these two teams, Caleb Houstan nailed seven three-pointers and that would be a huge difference in the game.

Orlando is going to have the benefit of playing the NBA's worst defense though. Atlanta is 29th in PPG allowed, 30th in field goal percentage allowed, 18th in three-point attempts allowed, and 27th in three-point percentage allowed. Per Cleaning the Glass, Atlanta is 26th in points per 100 possessions allowed and 29th in effective field goal percentage allowed. The Hawks allow a lot of points in the paint and I would not be surprised if they attack the Hawks in that fashion.

Injury Report

Mouhamed Gueye (right low back stress fracture), De’Andre Hunter (right knee inflammation), Vit Krejci (left shoulder subluxation), and Wesley Matthews (right calf strain) are all out for Atlanta.

Gary Harris and Franz Wagner are out for Orlando.

Viewing and Betting Information

Tip-off time: 7:30 p.m. Eastern Time

Location: State Farm Arena, Atlanta, GA

Where to Watch: NBA League Pass, Ball Sports Southeast

Spread and Over/Under: The Hawks are currently home favorites today, as they are 4.5-point favorites according to the latest odds from the SI Sportsbook and the over/under is set at 232.5.

Projected Starting Lineups

Hawks:

G- Trae Young

G- Dejounte Murray

F- Saddiq Bey

F- Jalen Johnson

C- Clint Capela

Magic:

G- Caleb Houstan

G- Jalen Suggs

F- Paolo Banchero

F- Chuma Okeke

C- Goga Bitadze

Knicks are Reportedly Fielding Offers for Quentin Grimes; Should Hawks be Interested?

Player to Watch on the Hawks- Bogdan Bogdanovic

Bogdanovic is in the running for 6th man of the year and rightfully so, but he has not been shooting well for the past three games. In the last game against the Spurs, Bogdanovic shot 20% from the field and 17% from three. When he has off games like that, the Hawks struggle on offense and have to rely on Trae Young to have a huge game. Bogdanovic will snap out of his slump at some point, but they will need him against one of the NBA's best defenses.

Player to Watch on the Magic- Paolo Banchero

With Wagner out, Banchero is far and away the best offensive threat on the Magic and he scored 35 points against the Hawks the last time they played. If he can't have a big game, the Magic are going to have a hard time winning on the road.

Prediction

Predicting any Hawks game is tough because of how up and down they are. The Magic are missing one of their two best players and Atlanta is playing at home, but they have zero consistency. I will pick the Hawks to win tonight because of the lack of shooting on Orlando and Young will have another huge performance vs Orlando.

Final Score: Hawks 116, Orlando 111

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