Atlanta Hawks vs Brooklyn Nets: Game Preview, Injury Report, Projected Starting Lineups for Today's Matchup

After two very different performances, the Hawks need to just take care of business tonight against a Nets team poised to be a lottery contender.

Oct 29, 2025; Brooklyn, New York, USA; Brooklyn Nets guard Terance Mann (14) looks to drive past Atlanta Hawks forward Jalen Johnson (1) in the first quarter at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images | Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images

The Atlanta Hawks need to start stringing some games together.

If the Hawks really want to make the playoffs, they'll need to stop playing like two different teams in consecutive games. They looked in control versus the 76ers (albeit a team lacking Joel Embiid and Paul George) and cruised to a relatively easy win. However, they followed that game up by getting torched by the Miami Heat, 128-97. That game was completely forgettable for the Hawks as they looked a step behind the Heat all game. Even so, they were only down, 57-51, at halftime.

Their putrid performance in the second half allowed the Heat to blow the doors off the game, particularly a 10-0 run in the third quarter that gave Miami a practically insurmountable 14-point lead that they expanded on. It just feels like the Hawks are good enough to take games off terrible or snake-bitten teams while not being great enough to pose a consistent threat to any of the playoff teams in their conference. They have time to make a push for a top-seven seed, especially if the 76ers' slide continues. However, the consistency they need to be one of the final eight teams standing in the East has been lacking. They have an opportunity to get an easy win today against an awful Nets team and spark some momentum throughout the second half.

By the Numbers

Oct 29, 2025; Brooklyn, New York, USA; Atlanta Hawks center Kristaps Porzingis (8) and Brooklyn Nets forward Michael Porter Jr. (17) fight for a loose ball in the fourth quarter at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images | Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images

Atlanta's offense has been extremely inconsistent this year, following up a good game against Philadelphia with a completely disastrous performance against Miami. Even so, the Hawks are 10th in points, 14th in FG%, 6th in 3P%, 19th in FT%, 25th in rebounds (24th in OREB, 18th in DREB), 1st in assists, and 11th in turnovers per game. They're 23rd in offensive rating this year.

They got exposed on defense against the Heat, allowing Miami to score 128 points and shoot 52% from the field as a team. On a per-game basis, the Hawks' defense ranks 23rd in points allowed, 20th in FG% allowed, 14th in 3P% allowed, 26th in rebounds allowed, 5th in steals, and 18th in blocks. They're 16th in defensive rating on the year.

The Nets have gotten a great season out of Michael Porter Jr and their rookies show some promise, but this is still a putrid offense that is firmly the worst in basketball. They rank 30th in points, 30th in FG%, 30th in 3P%, 20th in FT%, 30th in rebounds (20th in OREB), 21st in assists and 27th in turnovers per game.

The defense has actually shown some progress. They are 13th in points allowed, 29th in FG% allowed, 29th in 3P% allowed, 9th in rebounds allowed, 23rd in steals, and 23rd in blocks. They're 26th in defensive rating this year.

Three Reasons the Hawks Can Win This Game

Oct 29, 2025; Brooklyn, New York, USA; Atlanta Hawks guard Dyson Daniels (5) looks to drive past Brooklyn Nets forward Noah Clowney (21) in the fourth quarter at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images | Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images

The Hawks are coming off a poor defensive game, but it is almost impossible to find a softer matchup for them than the Nets' offense. They're 26th in points given up per 100 possessions and 28th in eFG% allowed. They started the season off as a historically bad unit and things haven't gotten much better as the season's gone on. Egor Demin, Terence Mann and Noah Clowney are all capable of being targeted with regularity. The Hawks have no excuse for not finishing this game with a strong offensive performance.

Onyeka Okongwu got bullied by Bam Adebayo a few times in the Heat game, but he did make a difference on offense. Okongwu's 22 points were bolstered by a massive performance from deep, going 4-5 from the three-point line. He's going to be critical for the Hawks down the stretch and his strong play on offense has allowed them to keep things humming on offense despite not having Kristaps Porzingis. He's probably best as a backup center or complement to a more dominant interior presence, but Brooklyn isn't a good enough defense to keep him from another helpful night on offense.

Despite the blowout loss, many of the Hawks' ancillary offensive players, like C.J McCollum and Nickeil Alexander-Walker, had good games against the Heat on offense. McCollum and NAW combined for 40 points on 16 total shots, so it isn't like they were incapable of finding space against Miami's defense. However, they got pretty limited games from almost everyone else and the entire team played horrible defense. The Hawks should be able to have a very strong game on offense against a leaky Nets perimeter defense.

Three Reasons the Hawks Might Lose This Game

Oct 29, 2025; Brooklyn, New York, USA; Atlanta Hawks forward Zaccharie Risacher (10) looks to drive past Brooklyn Nets center Nic Claxton (33) in the third quarter at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images | Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images

Egor Demin hasn't been a superstar rookie to the same level of Cooper Flagg or Kon Knueppel, but the former BYU guard has been absolutely lights out from deep. He's shooting 38.9% from deep on 6.4 attempts a game while having a pretty solid defensive season for a rookie. His game is a bit one-dimensional, but the Hawks' porous perimeter defense doesn't exactly bode well for their ability to stop the rookie from getting hot.

Speaking of rookies, point guard Nolan Traore has also looked much better over the past month as a passer and finisher. He has an AST% of 25.5% as a rookie, which far outstrips lottery picks from his draft class like Jeremiah Fears. It's been a rough season for Traore so far, but the improvements are noticeable and there's a chance that he could expose Nickeil Alexander-Walker on a few possessions because the Hawks swingman hasn't been playing his best defense as of late.

The most productive pairing that the Hawks need to stop is the combination of Michael Porter Jr and Day'Ron Sharpe. In 267 minutes, the two-man grouping of MPJ and Sharpe has a net-rating of +6.3. That is because Sharpe is a solid do-it-all option at the center position who can score in the paint, grab boards and make easy passes out of the short roll. Porter Jr deserved a legitimate nod for All-Star honors this season due to the fact that he's averaging 24.7 points, 7.2 rebounds and 3.2 assists on 60.6 TS%. He scored 32 points against the Hawks last time he played them, so it's not like Atlanta's been able to slow him down.

Injury Report

Atlanta Hawks: Jonathan Kuminga is out.

Brooklyn Nets: Ziare Williams is out.

How to Watch

Here is how you can watch tonight's game:

Tip-off time: 3:30 p.m. Eastern Time

Location: State Farm Arena, Atlanta, GA

Where to Watch: FanDuel Sports Network

Projected Starting Lineups

Hawks

G - Nickeil Alexander-Walker

G - Dyson Daniels

F - Zaccharie Risacher

F - Jalen Johnson

C - Onyeka Okongwu

Nets

G - Nolan Traore

G - Egor Demin

F - Michael Porter Jr

F - Noah Clowney

C - Day'Ron Sharpe