The Atlanta Hawks are back in action against the Orlando Magic tonight at home. After dropping a game against the Cleveland Cavaliers that got competitive in the second half, the Hawks will be hoping to pick up a win in Trae Young’s absence.
Ahead of tonight’s game, both teams have announced the starting lineups for today’s game:
G- Nickeil Alexander-Walker
G- Dyson Daniels
F- Zaccharie Risacher
F- Jalen Johnson
C- Kristaps Porzingis
G – Jalen Suggs
G- Desmond Bane
F- Franz Wagner
F- Paolo Banchero
C- Wendell Carter Jr
How have the Hawks looked through seven games?
Unsurprisingly, Atlanta’s offense is a lot worse when Young is not running the show. They’re 22nd in points, 15th in FG%, 21st on 3P%, 22nd in FT%, 14th in rebounds (20th in OREB), 5th in assists and 5th in turnovers per game. Atlanta has consistently struggled to shoot the ball without Young and yesterday was no different – they only hit six threes on the night to Cleveland’s 20.
The Hawks’ defense started the season off poorly, but it seems to have settled right around the lower third of the NBA with some potential to get better once everyone gets more games under their belt. On a per-game basis, Atlanta ranks 19th in points allowed, 10th in FG% allowed, 3rd in 3P% allowed, 28th in rebounds allowed, 13th in steals and 13th in blocks.
In the absence of Trae Young, Jalen Johnson has taken the mantle of top option and ran with it. He’s averaging 23.3 points, 9.8 rebounds and 5.3 assists on 60% shooting from the field in his past four games. He’s coming off a 23 point, 13 rebound double-double where he also dished out five assists against Cleveland. Johnson’s three-point shooting hasn’t started to fall yet – he is only shooting 15.4% from deep on 2.2 attempts a game. However, that just speaks to how much better he can be. The Orlando Magic have two great forwards who are a size mismatch in most games, but Johnson is more than capable of holding his own against them.
During the last matchup against Orlando, the Hawks didn’t have Kristaps Porzingis. That shouldn’t be the case tonight. Porzingis is averaging 18 points, seven rebounds and a career-high 3.4 assists per game while shooting 37% on five attempts a game from deep. He’s been about what the Hawks expected in the games he’s played and gives them a different dynamic, especially against a center who isn’t particularly impressive on either end of the floor in Wendell Carter Jr.
Final Score Predictions For Tonight’s Matchup Between Orlando and Atlanta
Spread & Over/Under Predictions For Hawks vs Magic
Hawks vs Magic: Game Preview, Injury Report, Projected Starting Lineup for Tonight’s Matchup
Atlanta Hawks vs Orlando Magic: Injury Report For Tomorrow’s Matchup
