3rd Quarter Report
The Magic and the Hawks have shown up to the contest, but their offenses sure haven’t. Sitting on a score of 85-78, the Magic have looked like the better team, but there’s still one more quarter to play.
The Magic came into the match with some extra motivation after the defeat they were dealt the last time these two teams faced off. We’ll see if they’re able to flip the script or if it’ll just be more of the same.
Who’s Playing
Atlanta Hawks @ Orlando Magic
Current Records: Atlanta 14-20, Orlando 20-15
How To Watch
- When: Sunday, January 7, 2024 at 6 p.m. ET
- Where: Kia Center — Orlando, Florida
- TV: Bally Sports Florida
- Follow: CBS Sports App
- Online streaming: fuboTV (Try for free. Regional restrictions may apply.)
- Ticket Cost: $63.63
What to Know
The Hawks are 8-2 against the Magic since May of 2021, and they’ll have a chance to extend that success on Sunday. The Atlanta Hawks will head out on the road to face off against the Orlando Magic at 6:00 p.m. ET at Kia Center. The Magic do have the home-court advantage, but the Hawks are expected to win by two points.
The oddsmakers set the bar high, but the Hawks and the Pacers didn’t disappoint and broke past the 262 point over/under on Friday. Atlanta suffered a bruising 150-116 defeat at the hands of Indiana. The Hawks were in a tough position after the first half, with the score already sitting at 78-54.
The Hawks’ defeat came about despite a quality game from Dejounte Murray, who scored 30 points.
Meanwhile, the Magic made the experts look like fools on Friday, as the team pulled off a huge upset of the Nuggets. They skirted past the Nuggets 122-120. The win was all the more spectacular given the Magic were down 18 points with 10:47 left in the third quarter.
The Magic got their win on the backs of several key players, but it was Paolo Banchero out in front who dropped a triple-double on 32 points, ten rebounds, and 11 assists. Those 11 assists set a new season-high mark for him.
Atlanta’s loss dropped their record down to 14-20. As for Orlando, their victory ended a three-game drought on the road and puts them at 20-15.
Keep an eye on the arc in Sunday’s contest: The Hawks have made nailing deep shots look easy this year this season, having averaged 14.2 threes per game. It’s a different story for the Magic, though, as they’ve been averaging only 10.7 threes per game. Given the Hawks’ sizeable advantage in that area, the Magic will need to find a way to close that gap.
The Hawks barely slipped by the Magic in their previous meeting back in November of 2023, winning 120-119. Do the Hawks have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Magic turn the tables on them? We’ll have the answer soon enough.
Odds
Atlanta is a slight 2-point favorite against Orlando, according to the latest NBA odds.
The oddsmakers were right in line with the betting community on this one, as the game opened as a 2-point spread, and stayed right there.
The over/under is set at 239 points.
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Series History
Atlanta has won 8 out of their last 10 games against Orlando.
- Nov 09, 2023 – Atlanta 120 vs. Orlando 119
- Dec 19, 2022 – Atlanta 126 vs. Orlando 125
- Dec 14, 2022 – Orlando 135 vs. Atlanta 124
- Nov 30, 2022 – Atlanta 125 vs. Orlando 108
- Oct 21, 2022 – Atlanta 108 vs. Orlando 98
- Feb 16, 2022 – Atlanta 130 vs. Orlando 109
- Dec 22, 2021 – Orlando 104 vs. Atlanta 98
- Dec 15, 2021 – Atlanta 111 vs. Orlando 99
- Nov 15, 2021 – Atlanta 129 vs. Orlando 111
- May 13, 2021 – Atlanta 116 vs. Orlando 93
