PREVIEW: The Hawks have won nine games in a row, their longest since the 2014-2015 season while the Magic have won seven in a row , setting up a matchup between two of the NBA's hottest squads. Atlanta might be in 9th place in the Eastern Conference, but they are only 2.5 games back from the Magic and most importantly, if the Hawks win tonight's game, they will clinch the season series and most importantly, clinch the tiebreaker should the teams be together in the standings at the end of the season. Offensively, the Hawks move the basketball with purpose, averaging an NBA-best 30.3 assists per outing. The Hawks rank 1st in high spacing on offense and good passing, while the Magic rank 2nd in free throw rate with an FTR of 0.305 and 5th in high frequency attacking the rim. During Atlanta's nine-game winning streak, its defense has hit another level, with the Hawks maintaining a phenomenal 102.7 defensive rating over that stretch—over five points better than the second-place team during that span, the New York Knicks. Anthony Black, Franz Wagner, and Jonathan Isaac are all out for this game and Jett Howard is questionable , dealing Orlando a significant blow heading into this critical contest. Orlando's defense ranks 4th in defending shots attacking the rim and 4th in limiting three-point attempts on defense, while Atlanta's offense ranks 5th in defending the rim but sits 27th in free throw rate. Orlando is playing the second night of a back-to-back after beating Phoenix 115-111, and Franz Wagner is out with an ankle injury, and Anthony Black is out with an abdominal issue—those two averaged a combined 36.6 points per game this season.