Feb 20, 2025; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young (11) dribbles against Orlando Magic forward Jonathan Isaac (1) during the first half at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

2025 NBA Play-In Tournament: Game Times, Schedule, and Matchups Finalized

Originally posted on Atlanta Hawks on SI
By Jackson Caudell | Last updated Apr 13, 2025 6:44 PM ET

The NBA regular season has come to a conclusion and while some of the play-in matchups were already known, the times have officially been set as well.

The Hawks and the Magic split the season series 2-2 this year, but one of those wins from Atlanta was when the Hawks were missing Trae Young, Dyson Daniels, Onyeka Okongwu, Caris LeVert, and Georges Niang. Orlando was also missing Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner in that game. When everyone was mostly healthy, Orlando was the better team this season, but that does not mean the Hawks can't win on Tuesday and get into the playoffs.

Orlando is a tough matchup for the Hawks given their injuries in the frontcourt, but when you turn the ball over 18 times, five more than your opponent, it is going to be tough to win. There was plenty of poor officiating in this last game that favored Orlando, but the Hawks did not deserve to win based on the way they took care of the ball.

The Hawks' defense has been really poor to end the season, and that was the case last night against one of the NBA's worst offenses. Atlanta allowed Orlando to shoot 50% from the field and 42% from three (14-34). When you allow the Magic to shoot better than you, that is not a good recipe because of how good the Magic's defense is. The Hawks have not been able to contain Paolo Banchero in any of the three matchups this season, and he had 33 points last night, leading all scorers. If these two match up in the play-in tournament, the Hawks' defense has to be better.

One thing that needs to change in Tuesday's matchup is that the Hawks supporting cast around Trae Young has to be better.

Atlanta got big nights from Onyeka Okongwu (30 points and 14 rebounds) and Young (28 points and 10 assists), but it was a pedestrian night for most everyone else. After scoring nine points in the first quarter, Caris LeVert only finished with 13. Terance Mann scored zero points in nearly 30 minutes, Vit Krejci could not find his shot, and Zaccharie Risacher was in foul trouble for the entire game. The Magic got good games from Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Wendell Carter Jr to go along with big games from Banchero and Franz Wagner.