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The Orlando Magic are off to their best start since the 2010-11 season and face an Atlanta Hawks team that has failed to gain any serious traction. Covering in just 8 games this season, Atlanta has the worst record Against The Spread of any team in the NBA right now by a pretty wide margin. Yet Orlando comes into this game as a +2 home dog.
So what gives?
Injuries among the Magic perhaps. Orlando will be without the following players:
- SG Kevon Harris (OUT - knee)
- PG Markelle Fultz (QUESTIONABLE - knee)
- SG Joe Ingles (OUT - ankle)
- PF Jonathan Isaac (OUT - hamstring)
- SG Gary Harris (OUT - calf)
- PG Anthony Black (QUESTIONABLE - illness)
- C Wendell Carter Jr. (QUESTIONABLE - knee)
The Magic have plenty of depth but that likely won't matter on Sunday with all the injuries this team is currently dealing with.
The injuries are factored into this line as we get a number of 5.68 Magic assuming a team in full health. The current spread represents around an 8 point overlay for Atlanta. The Hawks are 0-6 Against The Spread when they were favored and should not have been since late November.
Still, Orlando did manage a 122-120 victory over the defending champion Denver Nuggets on Friday.
Paolo Banchero averaged 32.5 points, 8.8 rebounds and 7.3 assists over their recent four-game road swing. He finished with 32 points, 10 rebounds and 11 assists.
“Just the power of just positive energy and just pushing each other,” said Banchero, who was 15 of 19 from the free throw line. “We just told each other, ‘We’re all we got. We’re going to live with the result, whatever it is, but we’re not just going to roll over and let these guys blow us out.’”
Jalen Suggs had a career-high 27 points for Orlando Friday night.
“It speaks volumes to the character that we have on this team,” said Suggs of the Magic's ability to overcome the recent cards they've been dealt on the injury front. “Not only next man up, but the confidence to trust and believe in each other. We weren’t walking out there like, ‘Oh, let’s just get it over with and go back home.’ We wanted to go win the game.”
The Hawks defense surrendered 150 points to the Indiana Pacers in their last game. The Hawks also give up the third most points per game in the league at 123.9. They allowed the Pacers to make 60 of their 94 (63.8 percent) shots from the field and 19 of their 39 (48.7 percent) 3-pointers.
"I don't know that we did anything at the level that we needed to in order to win against these guys," Hawks head coach Quin Snyder said. "We need to run back harder on defense. Even early in the game, you need to have a sense of urgency against these guys in transition. That's something we have got to clean up. We have got to be ready to go in Orlando."
The Hawks certainly have the ability to score with Dejounte Murray scoring 30 points on 13 of 19 shooting to the Pacers. And of course they've got Trae Young, who struggled on Friday and finished with 13 points (4-of-18 FGs), two rebounds, six assists, two steals and one triple against Indiana.
The two teams met earlier this season in Mexico City, where the Hawks grabbed a one-point win against the Magic. Atlanta is also 8-2 in the series over the last ten meetings.
- Don Shapiro, Gambling911.com
