Will the Hawks Make a Move?

The Atlanta Hawks currently sit in 11th in the Eastern conference, but the question is not if they will move up the rankings, it is if they will make a trade before the deadline. It was reported that the Hawks have shopped around Dejounte Murray to multiple teams looking for a trade, according to Adrian Wojnarowski: “The chances of him moving before the deadline are very high.” The Hawks have struggled to find the right mix around Trae Young, as they traded away John Collins over the offseason as well. In their last game, they were led by Young with 36 points and 13 assists in the win over San Antonio.

Trae Young leads the team with 27.5 PPG and 10.9 APG. He is second in the NBA in assists and has had at least ten assists in three of his last four games. Young is making 3.4 threes per game on 36.3% shooting. Murray is their second leading scorer, and is still a Hawk for now, he is averaging 20.8 PPG and 4.8 APG. Murray is in a bit of a cold streak as he has only scored 13 points in each of the past two games. Bogdan Bogdanovic is used as a scorer off the bench, he gets 16.9 PPG as an outside shooting specialist. Jalen Johnson is a 6’8 forward who has upped his scoring lately, he gets 15.0 PPG on the season and recently dropped 25 on the 76ers. Clint Capela is their big man on the inside, he is averaging 11.4 PPG and 10.5 RPG.

DeAndre Hunter typically starts on the wing, but will be out for this game with an injury. Saddiq Bey and Onyeka Okongwu will get minutes off the bench in this one. The Hawks rank 10th in offensive efficiency and 27th in defensive efficiency. They play at the 5th fastest tempo in the NBA based on their pace of play.

Magic Snap Three Game Skid

The Orlando Magic are a young team and are battling for a playoff spot as we head toward the middle of the season. They recently lose three straight games, going down to the Timberwolves at home, then losing to the Heat and Thunder on the road. They got out of their funk by defeating the Knicks in New York, the Magic dominated the interior as they had 52 points in the paint opposed to 36 from New York. The Magic were led by Paolo Banchero with 20 points in the win.

Paolo Banchero leads the Magic in points, rebounds and assists in his second season in the league. He averages 22.8 PPG, 7.1 RPG, and 4.9 APG. He has scored 20 or more in his past three games, including a 25 point game against Miami. Franz Wagner is their second leading scorer, but will miss this game with an ankle injury. This makes Cole Anthony their next highest scorer, he gets 13.7 PPG and 3.4 APG, all while coming off the bench. Anthony has not started a game all season. Jalen Suggs is the top guard in the starting lineup, he scores 12.9 PPG. Goga Bitadze starts inside and averages 7.1 PPG and 6.6 RPG from the center position.

The Magic have rotated their starting lineups, last game Chuma Okeke and Caleb Houstan started as role players taking up minutes next to Banchero and Suggs. Moritz Wagner and Wendell Carter Jr. are both used off the bench as post players. Orlando ranks 24th in offensive efficiency and 3rd in defensive efficiency. The Magic play at the 16th fastest pace in the NBA.