On Tuesday, April 15th, the Orlando Magic will host the Atlanta Hawks in the 7 vs. 8 game in the NBA Play-In Tournament. The winner of this game will face the Boston Celtics in the opening round of the Eastern Conference Playoffs, and the loser will take on the winner of a 9 vs. 10 meeting between the Miami Heat and Chicago Bulls to determine who plays the Cleveland Cavaliers. It’s nothing but drama in the NBA moving forward, and we’ll be diving into all of it over the next couple of weeks. Keep reading for Hawks vs. Magic odds and predictions, and make sure you come back to VSiN throughout the course of the NBA Playoffs. We’ll have previews of every single series and daily best bets/player props. We’ll also have betting trends and insights from our analytics guru Steve Makinen. Of course, we’ll also be talking about all of this on our live programming too! It’s a great time to be a VSiN subscriber, so make sure you check out our $59 Summer Special. That’ll give you full access to everything we have to offer until August 1st!
How To Watch Hawks vs. Magic
Where: Kia Center in Orlando, Florida
When: Tuesday, April 15th
Channel: TNT
Hawks vs. Magic Odds
(Odds from DraftKings Sportsbook and accurate as of Sunday, April 13th at 3:30 pm ET)
Moneyline: Magic -205, Hawks +170
Spread: Magic -5 (-110), Hawks +5 (-110)
Total: Over 218.5 (-110), Under 218.5 (-110)
Hawks vs. Magic Prediction
These two teams split four games — both straight-up and against the spread — this season, but the Magic really had a slight edge in the head-to-head series. Atlanta’s second win-and-cover came on Sunday, April 13th, when both teams took it easy with their starters and key rotation pieces. So, Orlando really went 2-1 both SU and ATS in the three real meetings between these two. Having said that, I wouldn’t put too much stock in the regular-season matchups. This is going to be a different type of game, and the more competitive setting should bring out a little more in the Hawks.
Since the start of March, Atlanta is fifth in the NBA in points per 100 possessions (121.6) and 18th in points allowed per 100 possessions (117.6). Meanwhile, in that same span, Orlando is 19th in points per 100 possessions (115.7) and second in points allowed per 100 possessions (110.1). Well, that’s where the playoff environment makes things interesting. What’s more likely: the Hawks playing better defense or the Magic playing better offense? I’d say the former.
Atlanta can be guilty of being careless defensively, instead opting to try and win shootouts. But that won’t be an option against Orlando. The Hawks are going to need to lock in and try to grind one out. And I tend to think they’ll be able to do it. In Dyson Daniels and Zaccharie Risacher, Atlanta has decent options to throw on Franz Wagner and Paolo Banchero. And with Jalen Suggs out for the year, the Hawks should have some places to hide Trae Young in this game. Sure, you could have said some of the same things heading into the regular-season matchups between these teams, but the postseason is just different. The little details and all of the game-planning these coaches do will matter more and more, and Quin Snyder should be able to find some competitive advantages against this version of the Magic.
I know Jalen Johnson is very important to the Hawks, but Suggs’ 3-point shooting and perimeter defense are more important to the Magic. And I fear Orlando’s lack of offense is going to stick out like a sore thumb now that we’re into the most important part of the NBA season.
Realistically, this is a game that should be pretty close throughout, but that’s why I like the idea of taking Atlanta with the points. When things get tough, I put more faith in Young to create easy buckets than anybody else on the floor in this one. Perhaps that wouldn’t have been the case with a healthy Suggs out there to smother Young, but that’s certainly the case now. The electric guard should be able to do more damage against whoever Orlando sticks on him than Banchero or Wagner will do against the Atlanta wings.
Young is just going to need some of his teammates to knock down some shots, but I will say this: Orlando is less likely to shoot 41.2% from 3 again than Atlanta is to shoot 34.1%, which is exactly what happened when these teams met last week. I also don’t see the Hawks coughing up the ball 18 times again, and those turnovers led to 20 points for the Magic.
The Hawks have also enjoyed this spot all season long, as they’re 21-9-1 ATS as road underdogs of 3.5 to 9.5 points.
Bet: Hawks +5 (-110)
