The NBA’s play-in begins on Tuesday when the Orlando Magic host the Atlanta Hawks.
The pregame narrative: A win guarantees either team the 7-seed and a battle with the Boston Celtics in Round 1. Paolo Banchero has been a force down the stretch for Orlando, and I expect him to show out once again in a winning effort.
Check out my Hawks vs. Magic play-in SGP predictions for April 15.
Hawks vs. Magic predictions
Parlay: Magic moneyline | Banchero 30+ points | Daniels over 10.5 rebounds/assists (+380)
Magic moneyline (-200): Orlando played Atlanta on Sunday and lost 117-105. But both teams had their playoff seeding locked in. With starters rested, that result should be thrown out the window.
The Magic had won 11 of 15 games before that, with wins against the Celtics, Cleveland Cavaliers, Los Angeles Lakers and Hawks.
I think it’s fair to say Orlando is a good team and wouldn’t be in this position if Banchero and Franz Wagner were healthy all season.
On home court, I like its chances of handling an Hawks team with sketchy defensive tendencies.
Atlanta went 12-18 straight up as a road underdog this season and was 21st in road defensive rating (115.4).
NBA SGP legs
Banchero 30+ points (-122): Banchero has feasted against the Hawks and played at an MVP-calibre pace to close out the season — this leg seems like a smash play to me.
- Banchero averaged 29.7 points on 49.2% shooting in his last 20 games. In that span, he went 11-9 against this line.
- The power forward has scored 30+ points in four of his last five games against the Hawks.
Atlanta allows the most points per game to the PF postion, according to Fantasy Pros. Banchero is by far the Magic’s best player and I expect him to completely take over this game.
Daniels over 10.5 rebounds/assists (-125): Dyson Daniels is a burgeoning defensive superstar and he’s found ways to produce on offence, too.
The 6-foot-7 guard averaged 6.8 rebounds and 5.2 assists following the all-star break, healthily above this line. It’s worth noting the Magic are a great defensive team, especially at home, which is baked into this price.
Still, I like Daniels to go over this mark.
He cleared this in eight of his last 10 games to close out the regular season and is 1-2 against this line vs. the Magic since joining Atlanta (landing on 10 rebounds/assists in one game).
Hawks vs. Magic predictions made at 10:40 a.m. ET 04/15/2025.
Avery joined NorthStar Gaming as an intern in 2022 before stepping into a full-time role soon after. He loves betting on and analyzing golf — mainly because it’s easier than actually playing — but is a fan of all sports, from the NFL to the UFC.