The Atlanta Hawks will face a familiar foe in the 7th/8th seed match-up of this year’s NBA Play-In Tournament, their division-rival, Orlando Magic.
Atlanta split the season series 2-2, having just beaten the Magic on Sunday for their regular season finale. It should be noted that neither team was playing their starters that game, and the Magic did beat the Hawks in Atlanta at full strength on April 8th.
The Magic started the season very strong with their ascending-star wing players, former-number one overall pick, Paulo Banchero, and former-Michigan star, Franz Wagner. Both players went down with oblique injuries’ at similar points in the season, which helped plummet the Magic down the Eastern Conference standings.
Atlanta had a bit of different path. In a year, which not much was expected, the Hawks could potentially be considered as overachievers. They overcame the Jalen Johnson surgery, an unfortunate loss, as he was on his way to a breakout season. Trae Young had one of his best seasons as a pro, leading the league in assists and averaging a double-double of 24.2 points & 11.6 assists. The team has multiple players that could potentially win post-season awards: Young (All-NBA), Dyson Daniels (Defensive Player of the Year, Most Improved, & All-NBA Defense), & Zacchaire Risacher (All-Rookie, Rookie of the Year).
Tuesday’s game has a 7:30 PM tip-off from Orlando’s Kia Center. The loser of this game will have one more chance to crack the Eastern Conference playoff field if they lose. They would play the winner of the 9th/10th seed game, between the Chicago Bulls and Miami Heat.
