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All-Star break is over, and the NBA is finally back. The Magic-Hawks matchup Thursday night impressed as the Magic earned a 114-108 road win.
Superstars Came Out to Shine
Thursday night’s Magic-Hawks matchup did not disappoint. Second-year superstar Paolo Banchero led the way for the Magic, stuffing the stat sheet with 36 points, 10 rebounds, and five assists. Despite missing 34 games because of a torn oblique muscle, Banchero hasn’t lost a step. His co-star Franz Wagner also showed out, scoring his season average 25 points on 50% shooting.
For the Hawks, Trae Young was letting it fly, scoring 38 points on 28 shot attempts. No other player on the Hawks scored more than 15 points, leaving Young to do everything on his own.
THAT’S AN IMPORTANT #MAGIC W‼️
The Magic defeat the Hawks 114-108 and even the season series against them👀
Banchero- 36 PTS
F. Wagner- 25 PTS
Anthony- 17 PTSBack at it tomorrow against the Grizzlies🔥#MakeItMagic pic.twitter.com/jq6TCI2rQ4
— Sean Green (@SeanmrGreen) February 21, 2025
Team Takeaways
This matchup was just the second of four meetings between the franchises. The Hawks won the first matchup and the Magic evened the season series Thursday. After dealing with injuries all season, the Magic are finally healthy and showed the damage they can do when their whole team plays. This team has the pieces to make a run and can be a major threat in the playoffs.
On the other hand, the Hawks look to be on the decline as they go into the second half of the season with a new-look roster. After trading two key players, De’Andre Hunter and Bogdan Bogdanovic, and losing emerging star Jalen Johnson for the season with a shoulder injury, the Hawks should shift their focus toward the offseason.
Nothing new here, but I looked it up after the offense collapsed last night.
Simply put, the Hawks (still) can’t score with Trae Young on the bench.
101.7 offensive rating in 824 minutes without Young this season.
(Context: That would be dead-last in the NBA by 4 points) https://t.co/XecZqw7dwh
— Brad Rowland (@BTRowland) February 21, 2025
Why This Game Is Important
This Magic-Hawks matchup had big-seeding implications coming into the game. Both of these teams are in the play-in tournament. The Magic are looking to return to the playoffs and after this win, they sit at the seven spot in the Eastern Conference with a 28-29 record. They are sitting one win behind the Detroit Pistons and three wins behind the four-seed Indiana Pacers. This loss keeps Atlanta at the nine seed, but they seem to be going into rebuild-mode rather than contending for the title. With less than 30 games left in the season, every game is significant and the playoff race looks to be coming down to the finish line.
