The Orlando Magic will have their chance to bring down the Southeast’s best team when they take on the division rival Atlanta Hawks at Philips Arena. The game starts at 8:00 pm ET on Monday, Feb. 8 and will air on FxS, FxF and NBA.
The Hawks were victorious over the Nuggets 119-105 in their last game. Paul Millsap led all scorers on the team with 22 points on 8-for-15 shooting. The Magic, meanwhile, are coming off a 107-100 loss to the Bucks in their last outing. Victor Oladipo had a team-high 18 points.
The Hawks have won both contests against the Magic this season, including a 98-81 victory in their last matchup. Despite the loss, Aaron Gordon was the game’s leading scorer with 18 points.
The Hawks look to build on their records of 30-22 Straight Up (SU) and 25-25-2 Against The Spread (ATS). They are 3-7 ATS over their last 10 games. Atlanta has been steady from the free throw line, shooting a superb .793. Atlanta has the second-most assists in the NBA, averaging 25.6 per game. Turning to the defensive side, teams routinely struggle to score points against the Hawks, who allow only 97.4 points per home game. If its opponents turn the ball over, Atlanta has shown that it knows how to capitalize. They average 19.9 points off turnovers, making them the top team in the league for that category.
On the other side, the Magic head into the game with records of 27-22 ATS and 21-28 SU. Orlando has records of 6-3 SU and 4-4-1 ATS against the Southeast.
The Hawks’ win over Orlando in their last game brought their SU record to 7-3 over the Magic in the last 10 games. However, with a 6-4 record, the Magic have the advantage ATS.
Predictions: SU Winner – Atl
Notes
Atlanta’s offense and Orlando’s defense are well matched when it comes to scoring. Atlanta scores 102.2 points per game (ranked 12th). Orlando gives up 100.8 points per game, which is also ranked 12th.
On average, Atlanta puts up 103.4 points per home game (ranked 15th), while Orlando allows 101.0 points per away game (ranked eighth).
In games where they allow fewer than 100 points, the Atlanta Hawks are a solid 16-7. In games where they fail to hit triple digits, the Orlando Magic have an abysmal record of 4-13.
The Atlanta Hawks have an 11-12 record when their opponents score at least 100 points. The Orlando Magic have a 16-11 record when they register triple digits.
The Magic have a defensive rating of 103.0 (ranked 15th). The Hawks rank 10th for their offensive rating of 104.0.
The Atlanta Hawks average 98.5 possessions and 1.040 points per possession in games this season. The Orlando Magic average fewer possessions with 97.4, as well as fewer points per possession with 1.015.
Atlanta is among the top-ranked teams based on its average effective field goal percentage of 51.5% (ranked fifth in the NBA). Orlando is a losing 6-13 when opponents have a similar or higher effective field goal percentage.
The Atlanta Hawks, ranked second in the NBA, average 25.6 assists per game. The Orlando Magic make 22.7 assists (ranked ninth)
Atlanta makes an average of 5.6 blocks per game (ranked ninth), while Orlando makes 5.0 blocks per game (ranked 14th).
Atlanta is ranked 30th when it comes to offensive rebounding. Orlando ranks 14th in defensive rebounds.
The Atlanta Hawks average 9.6 steals per game (ranked third). The Orlando Magic have a subpar record of 5-11 when they allow at least 9 steals.
