Hawks vs 76ers Preview: Game Preview, Betting Odds, Injury Report, Projected Starting Lineups For Tonight's Game

After a blowout win in Brooklyn, the Hawks head up the Northeast Corridor to take on a depleted 76ers team.

Mar 23, 2025; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Hawks forward Zaccharie Risacher (10) shoots past Philadelphia 76ers forward Chuma Okeke (18) in the third quarter at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images / Brett Davis-Imagn Images

The Atlanta Hawks are back in action tonight with playoff implications on the line. After a blowout 133-109 win in Brooklyn, the Hawks have set themselves up well for the upcoming play-in tournament. A win tonight clinches the 8th seed in the Eastern Conference, which means that the Hawks get two chances to advance past the play-in tournament. Assuming everything holds, Atlanta will play the Orlando Magic in the first round of the play-in because the Magic have already clinched the seventh seed. If they beat Orlando, they will play the Boston Celtics in the first round of the playoffs while a loss would set them up to play the winner of the Bulls vs Heat play-in matchup. They would then need to win that game to clinch the 8th seed in the postseason and face the Cleveland Cavaliers in the first round.

Fortunately for them, the Hawks have a pretty easy road to clinching the eighth seed tonight. Tonight's opponent, the Philadelphia 76ers, has been one of the most disappointing teams in the NBA. Former MVP center Joel Embiid missed most of the season with knee issues, All-Star guard Tyrese Maxey went in and out of the lineup and new acquisition Paul George has looked like a shell of himself in Philly. Even promising rookie Jared McCain only got 23 games of action with the team before suffering a season-ending meniscus injury. This is a team that has its eyes firmly set on the lottery odds of the 2025 NBA Draft and they have very little to play for this season. They did just blow out the Wizards, but neither team is incentivized to win games at this stage of the NBA calendar. The Hawks are coming into this matchup with far more to play for.

They certainly looked like a team with something to play for against the Nets. Zaccharie Risacher set a new career-high in points, scoring 38 on 15-20 shooting from the field and 6-11 from three. He outscored Brooklyn's entire starting lineup by himself. Trae Young had an excellent game as well, recording 24 points and 12 assists. Even though they hardly needed it, Georges Niang and Terance Mann gave Atlanta 25 combined points off the bench. It was an excellent game for Atlanta's offense - they shot 41.7% from deep and 57.1% from the field. Although the Hawks' defense did allow the Nets to shoot 42.3% from deep, they held the Nets to 40% shooting from the field as a team and kept Brooklyn in check from the first quarter onwards.

At this stage, the 76ers are a similar caliber of opponent to the Nets and should be dismissed easily. The Hawks need to establish an advantage early in this game and take care of business so that they can start preparing for two consecutive games against the Magic.

Game Preview

Coming into tonight's game, the Hawks are 5th in the NBA in PPG, 14th in FG%, 15th in 3PA, 19th in 3P%, 2nd in FTA, 26th in turnovers, and 14th in rebounding. Per Cleaning the Glass, Atlanta is 14th in points per 100 possessions, 15th in effective field goal percentage, 22nd in turnover percentage, 12th in offensive rebounding percentage, and 7th in free throw rate.

Currently, the Hawks rank 27th in PPG allowed, 28th in field goal percentage allowed, 16th in three-point attempts allowed, and 28th in three-point percentage allowed. Per Cleaning the Glass, Atlanta is 19th in points allowed per 100 possessions and 28th in effective field goal percentage allowed.

The 76ers' offense is one of the NBA's worst. They are 26th in the NBA in PPG, 22nd in FG%, 17th in 3PA, 27th in 3P%, 9th in FTA, 8th in turnovers, and 30th in rebounding. Per Cleaning the Glass, Philadelphia is 22nd in points per 100 possessions, 22nd in effective field goal percentage, 12th in turnover percentage, 22nd in offensive rebounding percentage, and 5th in free throw rate.

They also have a worse perimeter defense than the Hawks. Phiadelphia ranks 21st in PPG allowed, 30th in field goal percentage allowed, 14th in three-point attempts allowed, and 29th in three-point percentage allowed. Per Cleaning the Glass, the Sixers are 26th in points allowed per 100 possessions and 30th in effective field goal percentage allowed. However, they do have the third-best TOV% on defense with a 16.4% mark.

After his big night yesterday, Risacher has another opportunities to sway voters tonight. Most voters are considering him against San Antonio Spurs guard Stephon Castle as the likely winners of the 2025 NBA Rookie of the Year award. Yesterday's scoring explosion was his fourth 30-point game of the season and he made a big statement with it. Philly's defense can't stop anyone from deep and they let Risacher hang 22 on them in his last appeareance against them. Although his shooting numbers will likely decline from yesterday, he could have a similar game tonight.

Trae Young has been excellent down the stretch for Atlanta. He's recorded 20+ points and 10+ assists in four of his last five games and seems fully poised to lead the Hawks offense to a playoff berth. It's a welcome change from last season where he played with a lingering finger injury and simply didn't look right. Last season's roster was incredibly reliant on DeAndre Hunter and Dejounte Murray while this team's approach is much more balanced and depth-based. This time, Young is healthier and surrounded by more complementary talent. The Hawks are far from a threat to make a Finals run, but this is very obviously a better team than last year's lineup.

A former 76er, Niang has been excellent against Philadelphia during his stint with the Hawks. During their last game, he had 20 points on 5-8 shooting from deep. Again, Philly has one of the worst perimeter defenses in basketball. It's not out of the question for him to repeat that performance. Atlanta also got a double-double from Dominick Barlow against the 76ers and even though he's had his struggles this year, this is an appetizing matchup for the young big man.

In terms of players to watch for Philly, Quentin Grimes has been the team's leading scorer in the absence of Embiid, George, Maxey and McCain. He's been sensational from deep for the 76ers, shooting nearly 39% on threes while taking 7.8 attempts a game. If he plays, Atlanta should be focused on limiting him as a shooter because this offense is starved for reliable three-point shooting. Lonnie Walker has been a good source of athleticism for their offense and point guard Jeff Dowtin Jr just had a 30-point game. Adem Bona is a solid rookie center who plays good defense and competes on the boards. However, there is so much talent missing from this team and they shouldn't be a challenge for the Hawks.

Injury Report

The Hawks have not yet released their injury report because they are on a back-to-back.

For Philadelphia, Justin Edwards, Quentin Grimes and Alex Reese are questionable. Kyle Lowry, Andre Drummond, Kelly Oubre, Guerschon Yabusele have all been ruled out. Joel Embiid, Eric Gordon, Jared McCain, Tyrese Maxey and Paul George are out for the season.

Odds

According to Fanduel Sportsbook, the Hawks are 11 point favorites against the 76ers tonight and the total is set at 240.

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem and wants help, call 1-800-GAMBLER. 

Projected starting lineups

Hawks:

G- Trae Young

G - Dyson Daniels

F - Zaccharie Risacher

F - Mouhamed Gueye

C - Onyeka Okongwu

76ers

G - Quentin Grimes

G - Jared Butler

F - Marcus Bagley

F - Lonnie Walker

C- Adem Bona

Additional Links

Zaccharie Risacher Sets New Career High vs Brooklyn As Hawks Dominate The Nets On The Road

2025 NBA Mock Draft: Post-March Madness Mock Sees Hawks Take Pair of High Upside Guards

ROTY Statement? Hawks Fans And NBA World React to Zaccharie Risacher Scoring Career High 38 Points vs Brooklyn