Orlando face the Atlanta Hawks tonight on Game Day 14 as the Magic begin a tough 5 game trip. The Hawks are struggling but remain dangerous with scoring threats in every position.
The tip time is shown on the Orlando Magic website as being 12:30am here in the UK (7:30pm Eastern for our friends in Orlando).
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The Matchup For Game Day 14 As Orlando Face The Atlanta Hawks
Last Game
Orlando’s cold shooting saw the Washington Wizards win in the Amway Center by 104-92. The Magic failed to lock in on either end of the floor, struggling for any impact from start to finish. For the fourth time in the five game homestand Orlando shot a field goal percentage below 40%. For an 8 minute period that stretched over the end of the first quarter and start of the second Orlando failed to score. One of the few positives of the night was the reduced amount of Magic turnovers and fouls.
Cole Anthony led the Magic with 22 points, 8 assists, 4 rebounds and a block. The final stat line is largely thanks to making 11 of his 12 free throws. From the field Cole shot 4 of 16, whilst making only 3 of his 9 attempts from beyond the arc. Wendell Carter Jr scored 17 points, whilst adding 7 rebounds, 3 steals and 2 assists. Wendell made 4 of his 6 shots with the three ball. Mo Bamba recorded another double-double with 14 points, 17 rebounds and three blocks. That stat sheet disguises that he had a tough night against Montrezl Harrell, being out muscled in many situations. RJ Hampton provided energy from the bench as he covered for Suggs limping off with an ankle sprain fourth quarter.
Atlanta last night broke a six game losing streak by springing a surprise result. The Hawks beat the reigning champions; the Milwaukee Bucks by 100-120 in Atlanta. A 14 point halftime lead for Atlanta was rarely threatened by a slightly under strength Bucks team. Trae Young delivered a 42 points10 assists double-double that he supplemented with 8 rebounds. Clint Capella had a 12 points and 13 rebounds double-double whilst John Collins gave registered 19 points.
The Season So Far
Orlando have dropped to a 3-10 losing record that puts them last in the Eastern Conference. Atlanta are 13th in the East with a losing 5-9 record
The Magic are now on the road for a very tough five game trip. Going into tonight the Magic have won 2 of the last 10 games played this season. Orlando’s scoring average took another dip to just 99.1 points per game. The points conceded by Orlando is not excessive, an average of 108.7 points per game. Unfortunately the Magic are still struggling to find consistency which has translated to horrendous league statistics for offence, defence, steals, turnovers, two-pointers made, two-pointers attempted, total field goal percentage, opposition offensive rebounds and opponents scoring on second chances.
It is somewhat surprising that last season’s beaten Eastern Conference finalist have been experiencing such struggles. Last night’s win as stated broke a six games losing streak for the Atlanta Hawks, having now won 2 of their last 10 games. Atlanta score an average of 107.5 points per game, whilst conceding 110.1. The Hawks put up a lot of shots, the 7th most in the NBA. However their field goal percentage is not great at under 45%. From three they are a threat, shooting at 36% but it is not a shot they over rely on using it a lot lower rate than many NBA teams. They dominate the glass but rate badly for steals or blocks, of which they get very few.
Head-To-Head: The Atlanta Hawks
Of the 123 regular season games played with Atlanta the Magic trail at 63-60
Last season (2020-21) saw the series swept by Atlanta, moving to having won three games consecutively. The 2019-20 season was split 2-2, each team winning one road and home game. Season 2018-19 saw Orlando sweep the Hawks 4-0.
The teams have met in the playoffs on 3 occasions. Orlando lead by 2-1 on series and 10-5 in games. Orlando won the Eastern Conference Semi-final 4-1 in 1996. Again in the 2010 Eastern Conference Semi-final Orlando swept the series 4-0. Atlanta took the series in the 2011 First Round by 4-2.
Our Opponents – The Atlanta Hawks
Coach McMillan has seen little change in the off-season.
He used a starting line-up last night of Trae Young (PG), Bogdan Bogdanovic (SG), Kevin Huerter (SF), John Collins (PF) and Clint Capella (C). That is a solid team and is identical to last season’s starters.
From the bench came Danilo Gallinari, Lou Williams, Cam Reddish, Delon Wright, Gorgui Dieng, Soloman Hill and Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot amongst others.
According to ESPN De’Andre Hunter is out requiring wrist surgery and Onyeka Okongwu remains out with a shoulder injury.
The Orlando Magic Injury Report
At the time of writing ESPN shows Orlando as having the same issues.
Jalen Suggs is listed as questionable for tonight following his ankle sprain against Washington.
E’Twaun Moore remains out with a sprained left knee.
Michael Carter-Williams is out after surgery to remove a bone fragment and repair his left ankle ligament.
Jonathan Isaac continues to be out as he rehabilitates from a left knee ACL injury that saw him miss all of last season.
Markelle Fultz is still out after last season’s left knee ACL tear and subsequent surgery.
The Magic Lineup As Orlando Face The Atlanta Hawks
Coach Mosely may lose the continuity in the starting 5 tonight that has been a feature of all 13 games this season. That team has been Jalen Suggs (PG), Cole Anthony (SG), Franz Wagner (SF), Wendell Carter Jr (PF) and Mo Bamba (C) starting. This unit is still ranking amongst the best in the NBA.
Chuma Okeke, Terrence Ross, Gary Harris, Moe Wagner and RJ Hampton came from the bench.
Robin Lopez, Mychal Mulder and Ignas Brazdeikis were available but did not feature.
Check Out Other Orlando Magic U.K. Content
On each game day make sure to check Twitter and Facebook to play along with our Magic Moments competition. Simply comment with your prediction for each of five questions we will ask on that night’s game. At the end of the season we will send out a prize to whoever tops the league with the most correct predictions.
Be sure to subscribe to Orlando Magic U.K. YouTube channel for episodes of our podcast Penny For Your Thoughts.
Final Thoughts As Orlando Face The Atlanta Hawks
The Hawks are on the second night of a back-to-back, never an easy ask for any team. Atlanta may have struggled so far but they have talent, depth and threats in every position on the court. Trae Young has been a threat all season, regardless of team results. He is averaging 25.7 points and 9.3 assists per game. Clint Capella is getting rebounds for fun and John Collins is hitting 2 pointers with great efficiency. From the bench Lou Williams and Danilo Gallinari always present a threat.
These two teams can each beat the other as current history has shown. For Orlando the offence will need to click into place. The team can not afford prolonged spells without scoring. Teams rarely win games in the NBA with the points tally that recent Orlando games have featured.
It won’t be easy but it could be a fun one to watch.
Let’s Go Magic!
