As the final eight weeks of the season approach, the Atlanta Hawks and Orlando Magic are likely to be jockeying for playoff position, making their head-to-head matchups, including Thursday’s game in Atlanta, even more critical.
The teams are close competitors in the Eastern Conference race. Orlando (27-29) currently sits in seventh place, holding a half-game lead over Atlanta (26-29). Both teams are chasing Detroit (29-26) for the No. 6 spot to avoid the play-in tournament.
In their first meeting of the season on February 10, Atlanta secured a 112-106 road victory over Orlando. They will face each other two more times in April during the season’s final week, including the year-ending game in Atlanta.
The Orlando players sounded excited about returning to practice on Monday after the All-Star break. Paolo Banchero is averaging 22.5 points, 7.1 rebounds, and 5.0 assists in 22 games. He has scored 30-plus points in six games and recorded 31 points against the Hawks in their first meeting.
Franz Wagner, who has led or shared the team scoring lead 27 times, is averaging 25.1 points, 5.6 rebounds, 4.9 assists, and 1.4 steals in 36 games. He scored 37 points against Atlanta on February 10.
Hawks coach Quin Snyder encouraged his players to rest during the break. Trae Young (23.7 points, league-leading 11.5 assists) participated in the All-Star Game, and first-round draft pick Zaccharie Risacher (11.4 points) played in the Rising Stars Game. The remainder of the players took a few days off.
Snyder is optimistic about the team, which has won three of four games since the trade deadline. Newcomers Georges Niang, Caris LeVert, and Terance Mann have all contributed since joining the club. LeVert is averaging 15.7 points and 7.0 rebounds, Niang is averaging 15.0 points, and Mann is averaging 5.7 points in three games with the team.
The Hawks hope to have veteran Clint Capela available after he missed the last eight games with a lower back issue. However, they will be without key reserves Larry Nance Jr. (knee) and Vit Krejci (back), who were injured within minutes of each other in the last game against Orlando.
Orlando hopes to have Jonathan Isaac available after he missed the final game before the break due to lower back tightness. Jalen Suggs (quad) has missed 19 of the last 20 games and remains limited to non-contact work in practice.
