Hawks vs Grizzlies: Game Preview, Injury Report, Projected Starting Lineups
The Hawks offense went cold last night in the second half of their game against the Heat last night and they missed their chance to win their third straight game. Trae Young recorded his sixth straight game of at least 30 points and 10 assists and it looked like Bogdan Bogdanovic was going to have a huge night until he could not hit a shot in the second half.
Atlanta now has zero time to rest because Ja Morant and the Memphis Grizzlies are coming to town and the Hawks need to find a way to get back in the win column.
Memphis has a lot of injury concerns coming into this game, but one thing is clear, they will have a chance against anyone now that Morant is back in the lineup. Morant came back from his 25-game suspension and hit a buzzer-beater in his first game back. Memphis still has Desmond Bane and Jaren Jackson Jr as well, making them a formidable trio.
So who wins tonight's game between Memphis and Atlanta? Let's preview it and make a prediction.
Game Preview
Trae Young shooting vs the Rockets
Trae Young is on perhaps the best stretch of his career and he has the Hawks playing at a very high level right now.
Atlanta is third in the NBA in PPG, 16th in field goal percentage, 9th in three-point percentage, 4th in offensive rebounding, and 16th in turnovers. They shredded the Rocket's elite defense the other night and looked like they were going to be able to take down the Heat on the road, but they fell short. The offense runs through Young, but they need more from Dejounte Murray and Saddiq Bey tonight, especially if De'Andre Hunter is unable to play.
Per Cleaning the Glass, Atlanta is 4th in points per 100 possessions, 13th in effective field goal percentage, 11th in turnover percentage, 4th in offensive rebounding percentage, and 10th in free throw rate. If they are fully healthy tonight, I expect a bounce-back performance from the offense tonight.
Memphis has the reigning defensive player of the year in Jackson Jr and they are currently 10th in PPG allowed, 5th in field goal percentage, but 29th in three-point percentage. The Hawks are one of the best three-point shooting teams in the NBA and they could take advantage of that weakness on Memphis.
Per Cleaning the Glass, Memphis is 9th in points allowed per 100 possessions and 14th in effective field goal percentage allowed. They are still a solid defense this year, but they might be without Marcus Smart for this game so their defense will have to revolve around Jackson tonight.
Jaren Jackson Jr is one of the best defensive players in the NBA
Petre Thomas-USA TODAY Sports
The Hawks's poor defense is going to be up against one of the NBA's worst offenses tonight. The Grizzlies come into this game 30th in PPG, 30th in field goal percentage, 28th in three-point percentage, 21st in offensive rebounding, and 25th in turnovers. Per Cleaning the Glass, Memphis is 28th in points per 100 possessions, 29th in effective field goal percentage, 26th in turnover percentage, 19th in offensive rebounding percentage, and 27th in free throw rate.
Keep in mind, that a lot of these numbers for the Memphis offense are with Morant out of the lineup. He is one of the best players in the NBA and is going to improve these numbers for certain and it might start tonight vs the Hawks's defense.
Atlanta is 28th in PPG allowed, 29th in field goal percentage allowed, and 27th in three-point percentage allowed. Per Cleaning the Glass, Atlanta is 26th in points allowed per 100 possessions and 28th in effective field goal percentage.
Injury Report
Keep a close eye on the injury report tonight. Atlanta is on the second night of a back-to-back and there could be surprises on it when it is released.
For Memphis, Marcus Smart is doubtful, Luke Kennard, Derrick Rose, Steven Adams, and Brandon Clarke are all out.
Viewing and Betting Information
Tip-off time: 7:30 p.m. Eastern Time
Location: State Farm Arena, Atlanta, GA
Where to Watch: NBA League Pass, Bally Sports Southeast
Spread and Over/Under: The Hawks will be underdogs tonight, as they are currently 1.5-point underdogs according to the latest odds from the SI Sportsbook and the over/under is set at 238.5
Projected Starting Lineups
Hawks:
G- Trae Young
G- Dejounte Murray
F- De'Andre Hunter
F- Saddiq Bey
C- Clint Capela
Hunter missed last night's game vs the Heat and Garrison Matthews got the start. If Hunter is still out, that could still be the case.
Grizzlies:
G- Ja Morant
G- Desmond Bane
F- Vince Williams
F- Jaren Jackson Jr
C- Bismack Biyombo
Player to watch on the Hawks- Saddiq Bey
If Hunter is going to be out again, Bey is likely going to be asked to play huge minutes again. He played 40 minutes last night against the Heat and he had a rough offensive outing. He will need to help keep Jackson Jr off the boards tonight and give the Hawks second-chance points, as well as provide three-point shooting.
Player to Watch on the Grizzlies- Ja Morant
This is a pretty easy choice. Without Morant, Memphis is one of the worst teams in the NBA, as we saw earlier this season, but with him on the floor, they are a different team. He could have a huge night against a poor Hawks defense.
Prediction
It is hard to make a prediction for this game without knowing the Hawks' injury report. There could be new additions to it due to it being on the second night of a back-to-back and Memphis is going to have Morant, Bane, and Jackon Jr. I will pick Memphis for now, but that could change later if the injury report for the Hawks is clean.
Final Score: Grizzlies 119, Hawks 115
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