The Orlando Magic will host the Atlanta Hawks in an Eastern Conference play-in matchup for the 7th seed on Tuesday.
The winner of this game will advance to the playoffs to face the 2nd seed Boston Celtics. The loser will face the winner of the Chicago Bulls and Miami Heat play-in game to determine who will face the 1st seed Cleveland Cavaliers.
Orlando and Atlanta split their season series this year, 2-2. The Hawks won the most recent meeting between the two, though both teams rested their starters.
Both teams enter this play-in matchup missing key players.
The Magic will be without starting point guard Jalen Suggs, who has been out since January with a left knee injury. They are also missing backup center Mo Wagner, who tore his ACL in December.
On Atlanta’s side, Jalen Johnson is out with a torn left labrum. Johnson was having a career best year, as he averaged 18.9 points, 10 rebounds and 5 assists in 36 games.
Orlando enters this matchup with a 41-41 record, winning 7 out of their last 10 games. They are having a down season compared to last year, as they have had players in and out of the lineup with injuries.
The Magic’s elite defense will be key in containing Atlanta’s offense. Orlando has held their opponents to an average of 105.5 points, which is the lowest in the league.
Orlando is a low scoring team themselves, at just 105.4 points per game. Despite this, they have Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner, who can explode on offense at any given moment. Both have had success offensively against Atlanta this season. Banchero has averaged 33.3 points in 3 games against the Hawks while Wagner has averaged 28 points.
Atlanta is no stranger to the play-in tournament. This will be their 4th straight play-in appearance.
The Hawks enter the play-in with a 40-42 record and winners of their last 3 games.
All eyes will be on Trae Young, who leads this Atlanta team with his scoring and playmaking. Young averaged 24.2 points in the regular season. He led the entire league in assists, with 11.6 per game.
Aside from Young, the Hawks have a defensive weapon in Dyson Daniels. Daniels led the league in steals with 3 per game.
Rookie Zaccharie Risacher will also have an opportunity to showcase his ability on a grander stage. He averaged 12.6 points in 75 games.
In contrast to the Magic, the Hawks rank 5th in points per game at 118.2, but allow the 4th most points by their opponent at 119.3.
With it being a single game instead of a 7-game series, there is little room for error for both teams. Orlando and Atlanta have had close games all season and this play-in game will follow that trend.
In the end, Orlando’s defense will come up big in crucial moments down the stretch. Atlanta’s defense will not have an answer for Banchero and Wagner. While Young will elevate his play, it will not be enough to carry the Hawks to a victory in Orlando.
Prediction: The Magic will win and head to the playoffs as the 7th seed to face the Celtics in the first round.
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