Young upstarts in the Eastern Conference, the Orlando Magic and Atlanta Hawks each took big swings in the offseason to compete this year. With the conference looking wide open, they hoped to fill the void that Indiana and Boston were presumably leaving behind. However, with both teams at 3-4, much remains to be desired.
The Magic are 2.5-point favorites on DraftKings Sportsbook. They’re priced at -142 on the Moneyline, while the Hawks are +120 underdogs. The total for this game is set at 229.5 points. Let’s get into my preview, prediction, and pick for this Magic vs. Hawks game.
Magic vs. Hawks prediction, preview
Offense has been the problem for both of these teams so far. Orlando acquired Desmond Bane to bolster a scoring unit that has been periodically near the bottom of the league; with an offensive rating of 112.7, sixth-worst, it’s not going well so far. It appears growing pains are in order for Paolo Banchero, Franz Wagner, and Jalen Suggs alongside Bane.
Atlanta’s trio of new acquisitions — Kristaps Porzingis, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, and Luke Kennard — have had their growing pains as well. The absence of Trae Young only complicates things. This entire Hawks team was built with his incredible offensive floor-raising in mind; without him, too large of a burden is placed on complementary offensive pieces like Porzingis, Jalen Johnson, and Dyson Daniels to juice their attack. For now, they’ll have to lean on the defense.
Whoever can get a convincing scoring performance will carry the day here. The problem is figuring out who that comes from.
Magic vs. Hawks pick, best bet
I’m leaning towards the Magic on the strength of their offensive talents. They still have a lot of stars and good role players to cover, even if they might seem ill-fitting right now. But one thing is for sure: points will be at a premium here. In a knock-em-out, drag-em-out game, both squads will be challenged to break triple digits.
