NBA Picks: Orlando Magic at Atlanta Hawks
Written by Steve Janus - Google +
There will be plenty of new faces on the court for the Orlando Magic tonight when they go on the road to take on the Atlanta Hawks. The Magic started the season15-4 and were looking like they were right there with the Celtics as an elite threat to win the Eastern Conference, but have since won just one game, and as a result they revamped their lineup with a couple big trades. While the Hawks have won just 4-5 in their last nine games, they have won six straight at home. The Hawks split two earlier games at Orlando but this is a completely different Orlando team, and we don’t know if it’s going to help or hurt them in the long run. Taking a look at the NBA spreads for tonight’s games, the oddsmakers have the Magic favored by 1.5-points over the Hawks on the road.
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Orlando acquired Gilbert Arenas, Jason Richardson, Hedo Turkoglu, and Earl Clark, while they gave up Rashard Lewis, Vince Carter, Mickael Pietrus, Marcin Gortat, and 2001 first-round pick. Magic head coach Stan Van Gundy has really been upset with the way his team has played on the defensive side of the ball lately, but it almost seems like the Magic added more offensive talent than guys who can lock down and defend their position. It’s likely going to take some time for the Magic to form some chemistry, but there is no question they have enough talent to win this game.
Atlanta recently got Joe Johnson back from elbow surgery, but he has struggled with his shot, averaging just 15 points a game. I wouldn’t be surprised if Johnson found his touch tonight, as the Hawks will try and take advantage of the Magic’s struggles on the defensive side of the ball. The Hawks were without Jamal Crawford for the last three games, including last night’s loss at New Jersey, and its unclear if he will be ready to go tonight or now.
While a lot of hype will be on the new look of the Magic tonight, I actually like the Hawks to win this game. Atlanta plays extremely well on their home floor, and I just have a hard time seeing the Magic coming out and looking like an elite team with all the new faces they just added.
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