Two season openers where the roster picture matters more than last season's names. Both games are first official games for every team involved, so the only real evidence is who is actually available and how the rotations are built.
Washington is built around Trae Young, Anthony Davis and Alex Sarr, and that core is intact. They lose AJ Dybantsa to an ankle sprain, plus Jamir Watkins and Tristan Vukcevic, but those are depth and scoring-punch losses on the wing, covered by existing rotation players. Milwaukee is a rebuild after trading its star, under a new coach, with creation resting mostly on Herro and Rollins. The Young and Davis pick-and-roll against a thin Bucks front line is where Washington's two-point and free-throw edge should come from, and Washington's preseason shooting was clearly better than Milwaukee's. Home court and five days of rest add to it. That's why I'm siding with Washington to win by a few points.
Orlando against Atlanta looks like a close game decided by guard depth. The Magic are missing Black, Nelson, Isaac and Penda, which strips guard and forward minutes and leaves a point-guard spot that was unsettled in preseason. Atlanta only misses two reserve bigs, so its starting group is whole, and its perimeter pressure and volume threes target exactly that guard group. The Hawks also won the last four meetings with Orlando, several by wide margins. The Magic's strong form string is mostly preseason with starters on short minutes. I'm siding with Atlanta to stay inside the number, with room for a narrow loss.
