The 2026-27 NBA schedule is here, and Atlanta’s first test comes against a team it handled with ease last season.
The Hawks will open the year against the Orlando Magic, a familiar division opponent that turned into a one-sided matchup in the 2025-26 campaign. Atlanta won all four meetings between the teams, and Nickeil Alexander-Walker was right at the center of it. The 2025 NBA Most Improved Player averaged 28 points per game against Orlando and capped that run with a career-high 41-point night on March 16.
That kind of dominance may not carry over unchanged.
Even though both rosters look mostly the same on paper, there are a few changes that could shift the tone of the series. Orlando moved on from head coach Jamahl Mosley and hired Sean Sweeney, one of the league’s most sought-after assistants. The Magic also added Lu Dort, a move that should bring more edge and physicality to the matchup.
That matters, because Atlanta’s control of the series last season was tied in part to how well it handled that physical battle. The Hawks found a way to impose themselves, and the Magic never really solved it.
There’s also one moment Atlanta won’t have forgotten.
Late in the regular season, as the Hawks were trying to finish strong before a deep playoff run, Magic center Goga Bitadze pulled down on Jock Landale’s shoulder under the basket. Landale landed awkwardly and missed the entire postseason. With Atlanta already at a clear size disadvantage, losing Landale made its first-round exit inevitable.
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