Finally, opening night is here, and the Atlanta Hawks get a chance to waste no time finding out whether Nickeil Alexander-Walker can keep the magic going against his favorite matchup.
Atlanta enters the 2026-27 season after a semi-breakout campaign, and Alexander-Walker was a huge part of that surge. The 28-year-old guard, acquired by the Hawks in a sign-and-trade with the Minnesota Timberwolves, took home Most Improved Player honors after his first season in Atlanta.
Now he gets the same opponent that brought out his best last year: the Orlando Magic.
The Hawks had Orlando’s number across the board last season, sweeping the four meetings between the teams. Alexander-Walker was a constant headache in those games, and the numbers were loud. He averaged 28 points, three rebounds, three assists and 1.5 steals against the Magic while shooting over 56% from the field and 47% from three.
His biggest night came in the third meeting, when both teams arrived with impressive winning streaks. Alexander-Walker exploded for a career-high 41 points, added seven rebounds and five assists, and hit nine of his 14 attempts from deep in a statement win for Atlanta.
He followed that up with one more strong outing before the regular season ended, scoring 32 efficiently and helping the Hawks finish the season sweep of their division rival.
That said, Orlando is not rolling out exactly the same look this time around. The roster itself stayed largely intact, with very little offseason movement, but the biggest change came on the sideline. The Magic replaced former coach Jamahl Mosley with former San Antonio assistant Sean Sweeney.
In Other News...
Hawks Get A Chance To Answer Last Year's Orlando Frustration
Last spring, the Hawks learned how thin the margins can be in a playoff chase when Jock Landale went down against Orlando and never made it back in time for the first-round series with the Knicks. Atlanta never quite had the size or physical edge it wanted in that matchup, and the absence of a useful frontcourt piece lingered as one of those what-ifs that can hang around long after the season ends.
Now the schedule has brought the Magic back into view, and Landale is in a far better spot heading into the rematch. He has looked much more comfortable in preseason and is expected to be available, giving Atlanta a chance to see whether a healthier, more physical rotation can help it answer some of the frustration that started in that game last year. [Read more 🡒]
Lu Dort Faces An Early Hawks Test That Really Matters
The season opener against Orlando already carries a little extra weight for Atlanta, not just because it is a divisional game, but because the Magic are one of the few early opponents whose playoff outlook looks close to the Hawks'. For Lu Dort, it is also a first real chance to show how quickly he can slot into Atlanta's plans after being brought in for the kind of rugged, position-versatile defense that can travel in any matchup.
Dort's value should be obvious right away against Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner, two Orlando pieces the Hawks will need to deal with over the course of the night. The bigger question is how smoothly everything fits around him, because Atlanta has reasons to want Dort on the floor and reasons to keep an eye on what happens when his offensive game is part of the equation in a game where every possession matters. [Read more 🡒]
Jalen Johnson Faces The Hawks Stretch That Could Change Everything
Jalen Johnson has spent the preseason looking like the kind of forward Atlanta can build around, and that matters even more with the 2026-27 season looming as a potential turning point for his role. The Hawks have every reason to keep pushing him into bigger responsibilities, and December is shaping up as a useful measuring stick for just how far his game has come.
The schedule does not offer much room to ease in, with games against the Magic, Pistons, Hornets and Spurs mixed into a month that should ask plenty of him on both ends. For Atlanta, the real intrigue is whether Johnson can keep turning those stretches into proof that he is ready for the bigger stage the Hawks seem to be preparing for. [Read more 🡒]