Bill Yin breaks down his prediction and pick for tonight’s game between the Atlanta Hawks and Orlando Magic.

The 36-31 Hawks will host the 38-28 Magic tonight at 7 PM EST. The Hawks have listed Jonathan Kuminga as Questionable. For the Magic, they’ll be without Anthony Black and Franz Wagner.

The Hawks are 3.5-point favorites on DraftKings Sportsbook with the total for this game set at 218.5 points.

Hawks vs. Magic prediction, preview

Atlanta’s now riding a nine game win streak. They play has been strong on both ends in their last 10 games with 119.8 OFFRTG and 112.2 DEFRTG, scoring 120.2 PPG with 29.8 APG while forcing 10 SPG. CJ McCollum recently turned up big with a 30 piece with seven triples against the Milwaukee Bucks. Jalen Johnson was also impressive in that win, dropping a 23 point, 12 rebound, 10 assist triple double. But that’s nothing out of the ordinary for Johnson, who’s ascended this season into an All Star caliber centerpiece for the Hawks. Johnson is keeping this offense running with transition buckets, early threes, and ball movement. The Hawks are the current ninth seed but are only 2.5 games behind the fifth seeded Magic. Things are getting close in the bottom of the East as multiple teams gun for play in playoff positions.

The Magic have been the steadier team this year, earning their spot with defense and shot creation from their stars. The Magic are posting a 112.9 DEFRTG on the season, which ranks 10th in the NBA. Their last 10 games have been positive with 118.7 OFFRTG and 110.6 DEFRTG without arguably their best player, Franz Wagner. They’ve also gotten some nice contributions this season from Anthony Black, who’s helped step in for Wagner and added a career-high 15.3 PPG on 45.1% shooting from the floor. Without key perimeter and forward minutes from players like Wagner, Jonathan Isaac, and Black, Orlando’s missing some of their ability to throw waves of defenders at ball handlers while switching aggressively. When they’re short handed like this, the defense can still be good, but the scoring load concentrates on Banchero, whose ability to efficiently carry this offense has been hit-or-miss. Banchero’s regressed since last season, averaging only 22.3 PPG, 8.6 RPG, and 5 APG on .464/.308/.776 shooting splits. On the bright side, Banchero’s putting up a career-high .569 TS%.

Hawks vs. Magic pick, best bet

Best Bet: ATL Hawks -3.5 (-108)

The Magic have already lost to the Hawks twice this season. They suffered a narrow four point defeat on October 24th and a larger 15 point defeat on November 4th. I’m expecting the Hawks to continue powering through them as they gun for a playoff position this season.