Atlanta Hawks vs Charlotte Hornets: Preview, Injury Report, Projected Starting Lineups for Wednesday's Matchup

The Atlanta Hawks are in a rough position right now - and there's not a lot they can do about it.

Their blowout loss to the Timberwolves shouldn't have been a surprise. They lost to Minnesota, 138-116, in a game where two of their five best players didn't play. One of them was their All-Star power forward who doubles as their best scorer and playmaker. As expected, the Hawks just couldn't score without Jalen Johnson in the lineup. The combination of a lackluster offense and Atlanta's poor defense sealed this game for the Hawks even with a 38-point effort from CJ McCollum and a double-double (23 points, 12 rebounds) from Nickeil Alexander-Walker.

However, it does mean that the Hawks need to find some wins quickly if they want to keep pace in the Eastern Conference. They are 9th in the conference and their two straight wins against Miami and Utah have effectively been countered by dropping their last two games. They'll now head on the road to take on the Charlotte Hornets, who have lost their winning streak. They are coming off a loss to the Pistons where the fight during the game drew more attention than the game itself.

Even though the Hawks lost their last matchup with Charlotte, there should still be optimism that they can pull out a win if they get Jalen Johnson and Dyson Daniels back. It becomes significantly dicier if those two are out.

By the Numbers

Hawks, Atlanta Hawks, NBA, Okongwu, Onyeka Okongwu, Hornets, Charlotte Hornet — Feb 7, 2026; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Hawks forward Onyeka Okongwu (17) in action against the Charlotte Hornets in the first quarter at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

Atlanta's offense obviously looked very different without Jalen Johnson down the stretch and they struggled to find a consistent performer. Still, they are 8th in points, 11th in FG%, 6th in 3P%, 19th in FT%, 25th in rebounds (25th in OREB, 19th in DREB), 1st in assists, and 13th in turnovers per game. They're 17th in offensive rating this year.

Giving up 138 points in four quarters isn't going to make the Hawks' defensive numbers better - this has been one of the more lackluster units in the NBA this season despite having two solid perimeter defenders in Dyson Daniels and Nickeil Alexander-Walker. They are 25th in points allowed, 22nd in FG% allowed, 12th in 3P% allowed, 26th in rebounds allowed, 5th in steals, and 18th in blocks. They're 16th in defensive rating this year.

The Hornets' offense has been great throughout much of 2026 and the Hawks got a first-hand look at that. They are 15th in points, 23rd in FG%, 5th in 3P%, 3rd in FT%, 5th in rebounds (7th in OREB, 6th in DREB), 13th in assists, and 29th in turnovers per game. They're 8th in offensive rating this year.

Their defense hasn't been up to the same standard. They have been passable, but they lack the true elite offensive ceiling that the offense has. Still, they are 11th in points allowed, 19th in FG% allowed, 23rd in 3P% allowed, 1st in rebounds allowed, 30th in steals, and 20th in blocks. They're 17th in defensive rating this year.

Three Reasons the Hawks Can Win This Game

Hawks, Atlanta Hawks, NBA, McCollum, CJ McCollum, Hornets, Charlotte Hornt — Feb 7, 2026; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Charlotte Hornets guard LaMelo Ball (1) drives on Atlanta Hawks guard CJ McCollum (3) in the fourth quarter at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

CJ McCollum's defense isn't his calling card, but he actually did a relatively good job of chasing Kon Knueppel around for most of the second half. The veteran guard has been a massive positive for the Hawks off the bench, but he was pretty muted in the Hornets game due to the energy he exerted on defense. McCollum carried Atlanta's offense against Minnesota, scoring 38 points on 25 shots and hitting five three-pointers. It's unclear whether Jalen Johnson will be available for the Hawks tonight, but McCollum continuing his strong form tonight would be massive for their chances in this one.

Zaccharie Risacher followed up a strong game against the Hornets with a bad game against the Timberwolves. On a night where the Hawks really needed someone to step up, he struggled to get anything going against Minnesota and finished with just three points on 1-9 shooting. He had a much better outing versus the Hornets, scoring 18 points on 4-4 from deep. Risacher should be able to take advantage of a pretty mediocre Hornets defense and give the Hawks more of a lift. Atlanta will be

Onyeka Okongwu has been playing through his dental fracture while wearing a mask and the results have been about as good as the Hawks could reasonably expect. He only finished with 14 points and five rebounds versus Minnesota, but Atlanta should get a better version of Okongwu as he adjusts to the mask. His shortcomings with protecting the rim have showed up at times due to his limited vision, but the Hornets aren't a team that places a high emphasis on dominanting the paint. They're 21st in points in the paint, so a better all-around game from Okongwu might be able to swing the game in Atlanta's favor especially if Moussa Diabate is suspended for his role in the Hornets-Pistons fight.

Three Reasons the Hawks Might Lose This Game

Hawks, Atlanta Hawks, NBA, Knueppel, Kon Knueppel, Hornets, Charlotte Hornet — Feb 7, 2026; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Charlotte Hornets guard Kon Knueppel (7) drives to the basket against the Atlanta Hawks in the fourth quarter at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

Kon Knueppel has absolutely killed the Hawks from deep this season. He made six threes against them during his last game, bringing his season total to 19 on the season and marking his third straight game with 6+ threes against Atlanta. They actually did a good job of bottling him up for most of the second half, but he broke free from CJ McCollum and hit the dagger shot that set LaMelo Ball to win the game at the charity stripe. If the Hawks can't get into his handle and force him to turn the ball over more, this could be another game where Atlanta can't consistently slow down Knueppel.

While the Hornets didn't have any problems scoring against the Hawks, one Hornet who had a relatively quiet game was Brandon Miller. Miller only scored 16 points on 19 shots and it's entirely possible that he experiences some positive regression and has a huge game against the Hawks. That'll be significantly more likely if Jalen Johnson can't suit up for this game.

Johnson's presence on the injury report is stil the most worrying for the Hawks, but the possible loss of Dyson Daniels looms large too. Daniels is probably the team's second best passer behind Johnson and the Hawks don't really have an abundance of quality replacements on the roster to handle his absence from the lineup. One of the reasons the Hawks got blown out by the Timberwolves is that they didn't have someone who could reliably run the offense and that problem could still linger tonight against the Hornets.

Injury Report

Atlanta Hawks: Jalen Johnson, Zaccharie Risacher and Dyson Daniels are questionable while Jonathan Kuminga is out.

Charlotte Hornets: Liam McNeeley and Coby White are out. There has been no word on if there will be any suspensions related to the Hornets-Pistons fight on Monday.

How to Watch

Here is how you can watch tonight's game:

Tip-off time: 7:00 p.m. Eastern Time

Location: Spectrum Center, Charlotte, NC

Where to Watch: FanDuel Sports Network

Projected Starting Lineups

Hawks:

G - Nickeil Alexander-Walker

G - Dyson Daniels

F - Corey Kispert

F - Jalen Johnson

C - Onyeka Okongwu

Hornets

G - LaMelo Ball

G - Kon Knueppel

F - Miles Bridges

F - Brandon Miller

C - Moussa Diabate