Hawks at Magic preview: Orlando opens at home against Atlanta
The Atlanta Hawks visit the Orlando Magic at Kia Center on October 21, with tip-off set for 7:00 p.m. ET. Both teams are 0-0, and Atlanta won all four meetings last season.
By the Hoops Nightly Desk · updated 7 min ago01The story of the nightThe stakes and the formBoth teams are 0-0, so the season starts tonight in Orlando.
Both teams are 0-0, so the season starts tonight in Orlando. Atlanta won four of its last five games. The Hawks beat Dallas 135-111 on October 16, edged Oklahoma City 113-110, won 119-117 at Indiana and won 123-116 at San Antonio. The one loss was 132-123 to Memphis. Orlando went 3-2 over its last five. The Magic beat Miami 136-115 on October 16 and Cleveland 132-116, but lost 119-105 at Cleveland. Last season belonged to Atlanta. The Hawks won all four meetings: 111-107, 127-112, 124-112 and 130-101.
02Who is in and who is outOrlando's injury list is the longer one.
Orlando's injury list is the longer one. Anthony Black is out with a right ankle injury. Jonathan Isaac is out with a left knee injury. Noah Penda is out with a right hamstring injury, and Izaiyah Nelson is out with a left ankle injury. Atlanta is without two players. Henri Veesaar is out with a right knee injury, and Mouhamed Gueye is out with a left foot injury. None of the six is in either team's expected five, and those projections come from last season's minutes on the current rosters. The losses still thin out both benches, and Orlando takes the bigger hit to its wing and frontcourt depth.
03The matchup to watchThe forwards are the matchup to watch.
The forwards are the matchup to watch. Jalen Johnson led Atlanta's likely starters at 35.2 minutes a game last season. Paolo Banchero led Orlando's at 34.7. Franz Wagner (30.0 minutes) gives the Magic a second big forward. Atlanta's expected backcourt is Nickeil Alexander-Walker (33.4), Dyson Daniels (33.2) and CJ McCollum (29.8), and it will match up with Desmond Bane (33.6). Inside, Orlando's likely pairing of Wendell Carter Jr. (29.3) and Nikola Vucevic (28.4) faces Onyeka Okongwu (31.0). Jalen Suggs, Goga Bitadze and Tristan da Silva are on the Magic roster. Luguentz Dort, Corey Kispert and Dorian Finney-Smith are on Atlanta's.
04How to watch and whenTip-off is 7:00 p.m.
Tip-off is 7:00 p.m. ET on Wednesday, October 21, at Kia Center in Orlando. The game has no national TV broadcast, so fans have to watch on regional channels. In Orlando, the Magic broadcast is on MagicTV 27 and DAZN-ORL. In Atlanta, the Hawks broadcast is on ANF, Peachtree Sports Network and Amazon Prime Video. Check your local listings and streaming apps before tip-off, because which platform you can use depends on where you live. Orlando hosts this one with both teams at 0-0.