Stats ZoneATLANTA HAWKS
- The Hawks are coming off an overtime 140-135 win over the New York Knicks but they have been a bit inconsistent of late, posting a 2-3 mark over the last five contests. They remain near the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings with a 15-39 record.
- Atlanta’s frontcourt might be slightly depleted since Clint Capela and Skal Labissiere have both been ruled out until after the All-Star break. Meanwhile, DeAndre’ Bembry and Cam Reddish are both questionable and both should be game-time decisions.
- One player to keep an eye here is none other than John Collins. Even though Trae Young is Atlanta’s main star, Collins has been nothing short of excellent of late. He is averaging 26.0 points and 13.1 rebounds per game in his last seven outings, gathering a double-double in every one of them.
ORLANDO MAGIC
- The Magic are going through one of their worst stretches of form this season, since they enter this matchup on a three-game losing run while going 1-4 in their last five outings. They suffered a 111-95 loss against the Milwaukee Bucks the last time out, but they remain in eighth place of the Eastern Conference standings with a 22-31 record.
- James Ennis could make his Orlando debut in this contest, although that’s not completely certain yet. The Magic have four absentees here in D.J. Augustin, Al-Farouq Aminu, Jonathan Isaac and Chuma Okeke, with all of them missing this game due to knee injuries.
- Keep an eye on Nikola Vucevic here. The Montenegrin big man has two double-doubles in his last three games, and he is also averaging 20.2 points with 9.6 rebounds per contest in five February contests.
THE PREDICTION
The Hawks have been struggling to find any sort of consistency over the past few weeks, but the same can be said about the Magic. Orlando have been slightly better throughout the course of the season, however, and they need to bounce back if they want to keep themselves in the playoff race before the All-Star break. Orlando might have lost their last five at home, but the Hawks are one of the worst teams in the league on the road and that should be enough to list Orlando as favourites.
