UPDATE: Trae Young will play. Dewayne Dedmon will not.
The Atlanta Hawks fell short in their last outing, losing by a double-digit margin in Philadelphia. However, Lloyd Pierce’s team returns home for a match-up against the Orlando Magic on Wednesday and, in the recent past, State Farm Arena has been a particularly friendly environment for the Hawks.
Since Jan. 22, Atlanta is 6-1 at home and, in short, the team’s play in its own building is the centerpiece of an overall uptick in performance. Of course, most teams play markedly better at home but, with the Hawks operating as a (very) young team, it comes as no surprise and, over the course of the upcoming week, Atlanta has winnable games to potentially add to that uptick.
The first one arrives on Wednesday and, while the Magic appear to be playoff-bound, the visitors don’t boast a substantial talent advantage against the Hawks. Orlando is without one of its best players in Jonathan Isaac and the Magic are just 10-18 away from home this season.
On Atlanta’s side, the injury report is still cluttered, but the Hawks are in relatively positive shape from a roster standpoint. Dewayne Dedmon (right elbow pain) and De’Andre Hunter (right ankle sprain) are listed as probable, with only Clint Capela, DeAndre’ Bembry and Skal Labissiere in street clothes for this contest.
The folks in Las Vegas install the Hawks as 2.5-point home underdogs against Orlando. While that means Atlanta is “expected” to come up a bit short, it also illustrates the relatively even nature of the match-up and, at home, the Hawks are more than capable of picking up a third win in the last four games.
Stay tuned throughout the day and be encouraged to utilize the comments below as a “game thread” for the action.
Game Info
Game Date/Time: Wednesday, Feb. 26, 7:30 pm ET
Location: State Farm Arena
TV: Fox Sports Southeast, NBA League Pass
Radio: 92.9 The Game (Atlanta); Hawks Radio Network
Streaming: Fox Sports Go, NBA League Pass