The Orlando Magic (5-16) have one of the more exciting young rosters in the NBA, but the wins haven't quite been there for most of the season. They will try to pull things together against a Southeast Division rival at home in the Atlanta Hawks (11-10), who have lost four of their last five games. Atlanta center Clint Capela (dental pain) made his return to action on Monday after missing two games and grabbed 16 rebounds to go with 10 points. Markelle Fultz (toe) and Cole Anthony (oblique) are expected back for Orlando after each has missed extended time, but they come back to a tough backcourt matchup against Trae Young and Dejounte Murray.
Tip-off from the Amway Center in Orlando is set for 7 p.m. ET, where the Magic are 4-7 this season. Atlanta is favored by six points in the latest Magic vs. Hawks odds from Caesars Sportsbook, and the over/under is set at 228. Before entering any Hawks vs. Magic picks, you'll want to see the NBA predictions from the model at SportsLine.
The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every NBA game 10,000 times and has returned well over $10,000 in profit for $100 players on its top-rated NBA picks over the past four-plus seasons. The model enters Week 7 of the 2022-23 NBA season on a stunning 106-70 roll on all top-rated NBA picks that dates back to last season, returning more than $2,800. Anyone following it has seen huge returns.
Now, the model has set its sights on Magic vs. Hawks. You can head to SportsLine to see its picks. Here are several NBA betting lines for Hawks vs. Magic:
- Magic vs. Hawks spread: Magic +6
- Magic vs. Hawks over/under: 228 points
- Magic vs. Hawks money line: Orlando +185, Atlanta -225
- Magic vs. Hawks picks: See picks here
What you need to know about the Magic
Things have been difficult for Orlando all season and particularly over the last eight games, as the Magic have only won once during that stretch. Their last game against the Brooklyn Nets was the most recent loss, as they left with a 109-102 defeat on Monday. One silver lining for Orlando all season has been the play of Bol Bol, who had 24 points along with six rebounds against the Nets.
The Magic's outside shooting has struggled for most of the year, but the backcourt should pick things up with the return of Anthony, who is at the very least, a confident shooter. First-overall pick Paolo Banchero has been held up around the perimeter as a primary ball-handler, but with Fultz back in the rotation, he figures to get more chances to use his athleticism to go at the rim in transition. The Hawks are a team that likes to run up and down the floor, and the Magic have a better chance to keep up with them in those scenarios with Fultz and Anthony, who both like to push the tempo on offense. Wendell Carter Jr. (foot) and Jalen Suggs (ankle) are out for Orlando with Mo Bamba (back) questionable.
What you need to know about the Hawks
The Hawks' recent struggles continued on Monday in a 104-101 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers. In addition to the efforts of Young (18 points) and Murray (17 points), small forward De'Andre Hunter delivered a top performance for Atlanta in the losing effort with 18 points of his own. Justin Holiday came off the bench to score 16 points on a 6-for-8 shooting night.
Atlanta's three-point shooting has been at its best in road games this season (37.3%). The Hawks should continue to let shots fly from downtown on Wednesday against the Magic, who have allowed opponents to hit 37.4% of their attempts from beyond the arc over their last three games. Atlanta's scoring shouldn't be a concern either way, as the Hawks have taken (63) and made (33) the most two-point attempts per game in the NBA this season.
How to make Magic vs. Hawks picks
The model has simulated Hawks vs. Magic 10,000 times and the results are in. We can tell you that the model is leaning Over, and it's also generated a point-spread pick that is hitting in almost 60 percent of simulations. You can only see the pick at SportsLine.
Who wins Magic vs. Hawks? And which side of the spread is a must-back? Visit SportsLine right now to see which side of the spread you need to jump on, all from the computer model that has crushed its NBA, and find out.
