After a dismal opening night performance vs the Raptors, the Atlanta Hawks will be trying to right the ship tonight on the road vs Orlando. While this is still just an early season game, this is a chance to see two teams who were projected to be among the East’s best face each other for the first time this season.
The Hawks offense will have to be better tonight, but it is not going to be easy. The Magic have been one of the NBA’s better defensive teams over the past couple of seasons and have the size and physicality that has bothered the Hawks. Can the find a way to solve that tonight?
Atlanta is also going to have to shore up its rebounding and transition defense. Those were the two biggest factors in the loss to the Raptors on Wednesday night.
Oct 22, 2025; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young (11) drives past Toronto Raptors forward Scottie Barnes (4) in the first quarter at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images / Brett Davis-Imagn Images
Our own Rohan Raman broke down the matchup for tonight:
“Although it is only one game, the Hawks’ offense is not off to a great start. They finished 16th in points, 26th in FG%, 23rd in 3P%, 4th in FT%, 27th in rebounds (23rd in OREB), 11th in assists and 15th in turnovers per game. They weren’t able to shoot efficiently or put up points on large volume. Better nights will be ahead if Trae Young is at the wheel, but the offense has not started off strong.
That’s especially worrying because their defense doesn’t appear to be much improved. On a per-game basis, Atlanta finished 27th in points allowed, 28th in FG% allowed, 28th in 3P% allowed, 27th in rebounds allowed, 18th in steals and 8th in blocks. Those numbers are still subject to extreme fluctuation because of how early it is in the season. However, it’s disappointing that the Hawks came into the season with hopes of improving their defense and the quality looks very similar to past seasons.
Orlando’s offense needed to get better after making a big trade for Desmond Bane and the early returns are certainly an improvement. They rank 8th in points per game, 14th in FG%, 8th in 3P%, 7th in FT%, 13th in rebounds (19th in OREB), 15th in assists and 11th in turnovers per game. If they can hover in this range for an entire season, they are going to be legitimate contenders for a Conference Finals appearance.
Their defense is still good on paper and produce a lot of stocks, but its stats aren’t quite as impressive as they were last season. They’re 18th in points allowed, 19th in FG% allowed, 13th in 3P% allowed, 19th in rebounds allowed, 11th in steals and 6th in blocks. Even so, Orlando’s defense should still be great and the re-addition of Jalen Suggs to the lineup is only going to make them a more formidable unit.”
I think that the Hawks are better than the team that they showed on Wednesday, but Orlando is a difficult matchup for them. I anticipate a bounce back shooting night from the Hawks, but they won’t be able to score enough against this Orlando defense. Magic win a close one.
Final Score: Orlando 116, Atlanta 111
