Atlanta Hawks vs Orlando Magic Prediction & Betting Tips - NBA

Prediction published on 25/02/2024, 06:54  by Joseph King | Modified on 25/02/2024 at 08:20 in NBA Predictions

The 10th-place Atlanta Hawks take on the eighth-placed Orlando Magic at the State Farm Arena for this NBA Eastern Conference clash. The Hawks are coming off of a close 123-121 home loss to the Raptors on Friday, a result which has now extended the Hawks losing streak to three games. The dip in form has Atlanta with a 24-32 record, putting them a sizable seven games behind the eighth-place Miami Heat. The hosts will be without star point guard Trae Young for this one as the 25-year-old deals with an injury to his finger. It's the last thing the Hawks would have wanted as their scoring sees a significant dip without Young on the court, going from 122.1 to 113.6 points per game on average. Hawks games have been characterized as high-scoring affairs this season, in large part down to Atlanta's poor defense. This doesn't get any better when they play at home as they are allowing a league-high 125.6 points per game.

The Magic will be hoping to keep their good run going as they climb the Eastern Conference standings. A 112-109 away win over the Detroit Pistons improved Orlando’s record to 32-25 on the season, putting them sixth in the East standings and 1.5 games behind the 76ers in fifth-place. Securing a top-six position is crucial as it automatically qualifies teams for the NBA postseason. Positions seven to 10 all have to take part in the play-in tournament to earn their spot in the NBA Playoffs. The Magic have struggled to put up consistent results on their travels but have been getting better in that regard lately. Their last two wins have come on the road, including an excellent 116-109 victory over the high-flying Cleveland Cavaliers.