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The Orlando Magic will travel to take on the Atlanta Hawks in a Friday night NBA matchup at the State Farm Arena in Atlanta. With that said, it’s a good time to check out our NBA odds series, which includes a Magic-Hawks prediction and pick, laid out below.
Orlando was defeated in their opener 113-109 by the Detroit Pistons. The Orlando Magic endured an awful season last year, finishing 22-60 and dead last in the Eastern Conference. Jamahl Mosley returns for his second season as the head coach of this group, where optimism is budding after a strong draft.
Atlanta ended the 2021-22 season with a record of 43-39, before falling in five games to the Miami Heat in the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs. The team opened their 2022-23 season with a convincing 117-107 victory over the Houston Rockets.
Here are the Magic-Hawks NBA odds, courtesy of FanDuel
NBA Odds: Magic-Hawks Odds
Orlando Magic: +9 (-110)
Atlanta Hawks: -9 (-110)
Over: 225 (-110)
Under: 225 (-110)
Why The Magic Could Cover The Spread
Orlando “earned” the top draft pick in the lottery for the 2022 draft, selecting Paolo Banchero with that pick. Banchero was a bit of a surprise with Chet Holmgren “falling” to the second spot. Banchero is thought of as a do-it-all type, being able to score and facilitate with the best in the league. All Banchero did in his debut was lead the team with 27 points, adding nine rebounds, five assists, and two blocks. Banchero shot 61 percent from the field. Jalen Suggs appeared to take a huge leap in the first game of his second season, scoring 21 points on 73 percent shooting, adding three assists and two steals.
Wendell Carter is in his fifth season in the league, coming off a season in which he averaged a double-double. Carter turned in a double-double in the opener as well, scoring eleven points and pulling in eleven rebounds, which led the team. Franz Wagner scored 21 points and dished out five assists. Bol Bol only played in eighteen minutes, but put up ten points with six rebounds and a block. Orlando totaled five steals and five blocks. The team managed an impressive 49 percent shooting rate from the field and pulled in 48 rebounds.
Why The Hawks Could Cover The Spread
John Collins turned in a team-high 24 points in the opener, adding eight rebounds. Trae Young averaged 28.4 points per game and 9.7 assists per game last season, both totals which paced the team. Young is a certified superstar, capable of elevating the talent around him. In the opener, Young poured in 23 points despite shooting just 32 percent and managed a double-double with thirteen assists. Center Clint Capela is coming off five straight seasons of averaging a double-double. Despite scoring just two points in the game, Capela pulled down eight rebounds in his 26 minutes of work.
De’Andre Hunter averaged 13.4 points per game last season, shooting 44 percent from the field. Hunter put up 22 points on 67 percent shooting in the opener. Dejounte Murray paced the team with an impressive five steals, adding twenty points and eleven assists to register a double-double. Atlanta racked up 30 assists and twelve steals while turning the ball over just nine times in the opening victory.
Final Magic-Hawks Prediction & Pick
Atlanta clearly has more talent in this one. Orlando is still a couple of years away from winning games like this consistently.
Final Magic-Hawks Prediction & Pick: Atlanta -9 (-110), over 225 (-110)
