The Orlando Magic return home from a winless road trip to take on the struggling Atlanta Hawks and their high-powered offense.
Orlando Magic (5-23) vs. Atlanta Hawks (13-14)
Time/TV: 7 p.m./Bally Sports Florida
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Line via WynnBet: Hawks by 8.5
Tickets: $10-$327 on StubHub
2022 Season Series: Hawks 129, Magic 111 in Atlanta on Nov. 15; Tonight in Orlando; Dec. 22 in Atlanta; Feb. 16 in Orlando
| Pace | Off. Rtg. | Def. Rtg. | eFG% | O.Reb.% | TO% | FTR | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Atlanta | 98.6 | 113.1 | 111.0 | 53.4 | 27.3 | 12.5 | 22.6 |
| Orlando | 99.0 | 102.5 | 112.9 | 49.2 | 27.0 | 15.5 | 22.3 |
OMD Prediction
The Orlando Magic are certainly going to be happy to be back in the Amway Center with the chance to collect their breath as they near the end of the toughest part of their schedule. The team has done well to stick together even through this spate of losing and are trying to find the silver linings. The Magic play to the final buzzer, even if the team struggles to play well for all 48 minutes.
That remains a huge struggle for this young team. They get buried in their own mistakes — especially their turnovers –and the team is going to struggle to win or even compete until those get consistently put under wraps.
Orlando is still finding some pockets of positivity. The team’s offense has taken an upturn despite those turnovers. And the Magic are going to need all of it.
The Atlanta Hawks are struggling right now, having lost four of their last five games. Their depth has taken a huge hit too since injuries to De’Andre Hunter and Bogdan Bogdanovic. They do not defend a whole lot either right now. But they score. And score a lot. Can the Magic win another shootout?
3 Keys To Watch
Offense-Turnovers, push-pull
The Orlando Magic have been keenly focused on their turnovers a late. The team is near the bottom of the league in turnover rate and had a 17.0-percent turnover rate on the team’s West Coast road trip. It remains a huge issue for the team. The Magic are not going to be able to do a lot. However, Orlando still ranks 18th in the league in points allowed off turnovers per game despite ranking 26th in turnover rate.
That is something. the Magic are not necessarily giving up a ton of points off their turnovers. Of course, when they do, it is usually pretty emphatic and happens in bunches as they did in the third quarter of the loss to the Los Angeles Lakers.
Still, the Magic’s offense has been a whole lot better. The team posted an offensive rating of a little more than 109 points per 100 possessions. That is a big increase from the team’s season average.
The Magic are shooting a lot better and that helps — big pushes from Gary Harris, Terrence Ross and Franz Wagner have lifted the team’s perimeter threats. But it is a sign the team is doing some good things and playing with aggression. Even if the turnovers remain high.
Trae Time
When you play the Atlanta Hawks, everything starts and ends with Trae Young. Young is averaging 27.0 points per game and 9.4 assists per game while shooting a career-best 52.8-percent effective field goal percentage. Young is having a career season by all accounts, even as Atlanta struggles.
Young is playing especially well against the Magic. For his career, Young is averaging 25.4 points per game and 7.4 assists per game with a 53.0-percent effective field goal percentage in 11 games against Orlando.
Right now, the Hawks struggle when Young is out too. The team has a 116.2 offensive rating with Young on the floor. But the team’s offensive rating drops to 98.7 points per 100 possessions when Young is off the floor. That is a huge drop.
There are other factors there too — John Collins has also been a big offensive booster this year — but Young is a big factor at all times for the Hawks.
Cole’s world
It is getting a little easy to lose appreciation for how good Cole Anthony has been. At the same time, it feels like it is nearing time to increase expectations and responsibilities for the young guard.
We accept that he is going to be a 20-point scorer almost every night and now the focus shifts to him doing the things that have to be done to win games. Maybe that shift is a bit unfair and too early especially considering the Magic’s roster.
Anthony is still on a tear. He averaged 22.4 points per game with 3.8 rebounds per game and 4.6 assists per game on the road trip. He shot an incredible 42.9-percent from three on 8.4 attempts.
This feels like normal for Anthony — he scored at least 20 points in every game but the one against the Golden State Warriors. Anthony is doing this even with defenses starting to throw more at him and try to make him uncomfortable.
This is the area where Antony needs to keep growing though. He is still learning how to keep others involved as the point guard and organizer for the team. That will remain a challenge for him to keep growing. And his defense is still something the Magic are trying to hide at times.
Anthony is having a great season. He would probably point to these areas for his improvement. But Anthony has remained impressive and vital to the team’s success.