The first domino in the 2025 NBA Play-In Tournament fell, and the Orlando Magic are through to the postseason.
The Magic topped the Hawks on Tuesday night, 120-95, to clinch their spot as the seventh seed in the Eastern Conference, setting up a showdown in the first round of the playoffs against the No. 2 Boston Celtics ‒ the reigning champions.
Paolo Banchero struggled from the floor and was Orlando’s third-leading scorer with 17 points on 4-of-13 shooting. Hawks guard Trae Young poured in 28 points and six assists, but was ejected late in the fourth after he became frustrated with Orlando’s physicality.
Atlanta will face the winner of Wednesday night’s game between the No. 9 Chicago Bulls and No. 10 Miami Heat to determine the eighth seed in the East.
The Golden State Warriors edged the Memphis Grizzlies 121-116 in Tuesday’s nightcap to decide the No. 7 seed in the West. Memphis star guard Ja Morant hurt his right ankle in the third quarter, but returned. His status for Friday’s matchup is unclear.
Here are three takeaways from Tuesday night’s Magic-Hawks play-in game:
The Magic can grind opponents down. They won’t outscore the Celtics.
Tuesday was a perfect encapsulation of this Orlando team. Its defensive length can deflect passes, clog lanes and swat shots. The Magic slow even the quickest teams in transition; the Hawks, who ranked third in the NBA in pace, scored just two fast break points in the first half and four overall.
Orlando, however, is a poor shooting team, particularly from 3-point range. In the regular season, the Magic ranked last in made 3s (11.2 per game) and percentage (31.8%). Against Atlanta, when the Hawks doubled Banchero in the first half, he found teammates for six dimes, five of which came in the first quarter. When those teammates went cold in the third, the Hawks crept back in the game.
Against an ignitable Celtics team that ranked second in the league in points per 100 possessions (119.5), that simply won’t be good enough.
Orlando’s bench was essential. Is its play sustainable?
Led by backup point guard Cole Anthony (26 points), the Magic bench erupted for 57 points Tuesday night. Orlando’s starters combined to shoot 3-of-22 (13.6%) from beyond the arc. Orlando’s bench players combined to go 8-of-17 (47.1%). During a game when Banchero and forward Franz Wagner combined to score just 30 points, Orlando’s bench play was crucial. Against Boston, the Magic will need more scoring from Banchero and Wagner, regardless. But for Orlando to have any shot against Boston, it will need Anthony or Anthony Black (16 points) or Jonathan Isaac (six points and eight rebounds) to contribute.
The Hawks will need much more from No. 1 overall rookie Zaccharie Risacher.
In games No. 1 overall rookie Zaccharie Risacher has played since the beginning of March, he’s averaging 9.9 points in Atlanta’s nine losses. In the team’s 13 victories over that span, Risacher is averaging 18.4 points. Tuesday night, he scored just seven points on 2-of-9 shooting, including just 1-of-5 from 3. Otherwise, he contributed just a pair of rebounds.
Simply put: the Hawks needed more from Risacher on Tuesday, and they’ll need more from him Friday night against the Bulls or Heat. That’s only magnified when Atlanta plays a team that can frustrate Young, who was ejected late.
