The Orlando Magic sit on the brink of elimination as they get set to host the Atlanta Hawks tonight, Tuesday April 26th, for game 5 of the Eastern Conference quarter-finals. The Hawks have won six of their last seven against the Magic. NBA oddsmakers have the Magic as -7.5 point home favourites over the Hawks with the over/under set at 178 points. Be sure to check the Hawks vs Magic NBA Point Spreads and get your predictions in early.
Atlanta (3-1, 1-1 V) needs one more win to upset the Orlando Magic and move one step closer to a title. The Hawks won Game 4, 88-85, at home as Jamal Crawford had a big night. With his team-high 25pt effort in Game 4 Crawford became the first bench player to score 20 or more points in the first four games of a series since Kevin McHale did it for Boston in 1991. Atlanta also remains content to live with Howard's big numbers while defending the perimeter just well enough to throw Orlando off. It's why Hawks coach Larry Drew said ending the series as soon as possible is paramount. "It's very important," Drew said. "I'm always talking about this team growing. To me, them positioning themselves like they are right now to go into Orlando and to finish this thing off, that's a huge step in our growth process…Particularly after what they did to us last year…it left a bad taste in our mouths."
Orlando (1-3, 1-1 H) is in a shooting slump and time has just about run out. The Magic have barely shown flashes of the team that averaged 99ppg during the regular season and was in the top of the league in both field goal and 3-point shooting percentage. Now in the playoffs, as a team, Orlando is shooting 40 percent from the field and just 20 percent from the 3-point line in the series. The Hawks are at 44 and 39 percent, respectively. Coach Stan Van Gundy said his team got makable shots in Game 4, but that the mental side of things is what must be overcome. "On an individual basis as guys are struggling, the mentality becomes 'I gotta get myself going," he said. "And so guys are really hunting out shots and I think taking tougher ones because of that…You've gotta trust the teammates instead of the idea that we need some heroics." On a good note, Dwight Howard is leading all playoff scorers averaging 32.2ppg and shooting 66 percent from the field. The Magic are averaging just 90.3pts and three of their go-to outside threats — Jameer Nelson, Hedo Turkoglu and Redick — are all shooting less than 35 percent from the field, none more than 23 percent from beyond the arc.
Recent Trends to Consider:
Hawks are 8-0 ATS in the last 8 meetings.
Hawks are 4-0 ATS in the last 4 meetings in Orlando.
Under is 22-7 in the last 29 meetings.
Under is 6-2 in the last 8 meetings in Orlando.
Underdog is 8-0 ATS in the last 8 meetings.
Hawks are 4-0 ATS in their last 4 road games vs. a team with a home winning % of greater than .600.
Hawks are 6-0 ATS in their last 6 games following a S.U. win.
Hawks are 6-0 ATS in their last 6 Conference Quarterfinals games.
Magic are 0-4 ATS in their last 4 playoff games as a favorite of 5.0-10.5.
Hawks vs Magic
When: Tuesday, April 26, 7:30 PM ET
Pick: Hawks +7.5
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The Bottom Line: The Hawks can cover the spread and maybe even get the win. Be sure to check Hawks vs Magic Basketball Point Spreads and get your predictions in early.
