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The Orlando Magic and Atlanta Hawks will face off tonight at 7 p.m. The Magic are looking to secure the No. 7 spot in the Eastern Conference, while the Hawks are set on moving up.
The Atlanta Hawks
The Hawks (37-41, eighth in the Eastern Conference) are currently 17-21 on the road, and coming off a 147-134 win over the Utah Jazz. Prior to their win against the Jazz, the Hawks lost three games in a row to the Knicks, Mavericks and the Trail Blazers.
Atlanta is ranked fifth in the NBA in PPG, 14th in field goal percentage, 15th in attempted field goals, third in free throws attempted, 14th in rebounding and 26th in turnovers. The Hawks have won five of their last ten games, averaging 12.4 points, 42.3 rebounds, 31.6 assists, 9.3 steals, and 4.1 blocks per game. On average, Atlanta shot 50.2% from the field.
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The Orlando Magic
The Magic (38-40, seventh in the Eastern Conference) are coming off two back to back wins against the Wizards, 109-97, and the Spurs, 116-105. In the past 10 games, Orlando has won seven games. The Magic average 109 points, 44.9 rebounds, 23.4 assists and 4.9 blocks per game. The Magic averaged shooting 45.6% from the field.
Orlando is currently 27th in field goal percentage, 23rd in attempted field goals, second in free throws attempted, 27th in rebounding, and 30th in field goal percentage.
Looking Back
The Magic and Hawks played last on February 20 at the Hawks’ State Farm Arena. The Magic beat the Hawks 114-108. Orlando was led by Paolo Banchero with 36 points, Franz Wagner with 25 and Cole Anthony with 17 points. Atlanta’s leading scorers were Trae Young with 38 points and Zaccharie Risacher with 11 points.
Early second quarter, the Hawks had a 40-21 lead. Going into halftime, the Magic had a one point lead, outscoring Atlanta 38-18. The Hawk’s defense declined after the first quarter. The Hawk’s defense allowed the Magic to come back from shooting 33% to 71% in the second quarter.
What to Watch For
Players to look out for tonight are Wagner and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope on the Magic. Wagner shoots 46.3% and averages 24.2 points, while Caldwell-Pope has averaged 2.4 points made 3-pointers in the last ten games. On the Hawks, players to watch are Dyson Daniels and Trae Young. Daniels averages 14.2 points, 5.8 rebounds, 4.3 assists, and three steals per game. Young has averaged 24.4 points over the last ten games.
