Atlanta Hawks vs New Orleans Pelicans: Game Preview, Injury Report, Projected Starting Lineups for Monday's Matchup

The Hawks have an opportunity to both rebound from a tough loss against Toronto and improve their long-term future with a win tonight.

Nov 22, 2025; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; Atlanta Hawks forward Jalen Johnson (1) is guarded by New Orleans Pelicans guard/forward Micah Peavy (14) during the second half of the game at the Smoothie King Center. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Anderson-Imagn Images | Daniel Anderson-Imagn Images

After getting swept in the season series with the Toronto Raptors, the Hawks could use a get-right win tonight. Tonight is as good of an opportunity as any to get that win.

For the fourth straight matchup against the Raptors, the Hawks lost by double-digits and struggled on both ends of the court. The only positives from this game was an aggressive night from Zaccharie Risacher, who finished with 16 points, 4 rebounds and 4 assists, and Onyeka Okongwu getting back on track with 17 points and 12 rebounds. Outside of those two, it was an extremely forgettable night for the Hawks. Jalen Johnson and Dyson Daniels got torched on defense, finishing as a -27 and a -24, respectively. Atlanta did a better job of containing Brandon Ingram, but the entire Raptors team outclassed them in physicality and depth. Toronto scored 64 points in the paint to the Hawks' 44 points. They got 31 points off the bench, and inserting Collin Murray-Boyles as a starting center has made a big difference for them.

After beating the Mavericks, the Pelicans have struggled to get back on track. They haven't won a game since Dec. 22nd, but that doesn't mean they can be automatically dismissed. They made it close against both the New York Knicks and the Los Angeles Lakers. The duo of Derik Queen and Jeremiah Fears has been exciting to watch ,and there's every possibility that they could stun the Hawks if they don't take this game seriously.

By the Numbers

Dec 2, 2024; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young (11) reacts after a foul call against the New Orleans Pelicans in the fourth quarter at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

Atlanta's offense has struggled over the past few games. They are 11th in points, 8th in FG%, 5th in 3P%, 19th in FT%, 25th in rebounds (27th in OREB, 21st in DREB), 1st in assists, and 17th in turnovers per game. They're 18th in offensive rating this year.

The defense still has tons of room for improvement, but they were slightly better in their last game. The Hawks' defense ranks 25th in points allowed, 23rd in FG% allowed, 11th in 3P% allowed, 25th in rebounds allowed, 6th in steals, and 18th in blocks. They're 16th in defensive rating this year.

Despite strong rookie seasons from Queen and Fears, the Pelicans still aren't a great offense. New Orleans is 20th in points, 22nd in FG%, 29th in 3P%, 15th in FT%, 21st in rebounds (6th in OREB, 27th in DREB), 27th in assists, and 14th in turnovers per game. They're 26th in offensive rating this year.

Their defense is also a tough watch on most nights despite having great defenders in Herb Jones, Jose Alvarado, and Trey Murphy III. They are 28th in points allowed, 28th in FG% allowed, 16th in 3P% allowed, 24th in rebounds allowed, 8th in steals, and 26th in blocks. They're 28th in defensive rating this year.

Three Reasons The Hawks Can Win This Game

Nov 22, 2025; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; Atlanta Hawks guard Dyson Daniels (5) guards New Orleans Pelicans center Derik Queen (22) during the first half of the game at Smoothie King Center. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Anderson-Imagn Images | Daniel Anderson-Imagn Images

In their last two games, the Hawks went against one of the best defenses in the NBA and were totally unprepared for the physicality that the Raptors played with. Toronto is 8th in opponent points in the paint, indicating how they were capable of closing off the paint for Atlanta despite the lack of a true center. The matchup gets a lot easier tonight. The Pelicans don't have a true rim protector on the roster, and as a result, they're 28th in opponent points in the paint. It's an excellent opportunity for Onyeka Okongwu, who unfortunately missed the last game against New Orleans with an ankle injury. He's shooting an above-average 72% at the rim this season.

One of the keys to Atlanta's win against the Pelicans earlier this season was turnovers. They decisively won the turnover battle, 18-7, and that played a massive role in their ability to control the game. Jeremiah Fears has been an overall positive for New Orleans, but he does have a TOV% of 13.8% (33rd percentile among all guards). Queen, who leads the Pelicans in AST%, also has an extremely high TOV% of 16.2% (25th percentile among all bigs). If they can replicate that formula against New Orleans tonight, this could be a blowout.

Kristaps Porzingis will be in the lineup for the Hawks again tonight, and that is a major positive for the Hawks, considering how excellent he was against the Pelicans in their last game. Porzingis led all scorers with 30 points on a blistering 11-17 shooting line in that game and also chipped in 7 rebounds to go with four assists on zero turnovers. They had no answer for him, and there's every reason for him to bounce back after a quiet showing against Toronto.

Three Reasons The Hawks Might Lose This Game

Nov 22, 2025; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; New Orleans Pelicans forward Trey Murphy III (25) and forward Kevon Looney (55) guards Atlanta Hawks guard Nickeil Alexander-Walker (7) during the first half of the game at the Smoothie King Center. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Anderson-Imagn Images | Daniel Anderson-Imagn Images

Obviously, this is a big matchup from a narrative perspective for Derik Queen. The Hawks famously passed on the chance to draft him in favor of New Orleans' unprotected 2026 1st-round pick, and while the gamble seems to lean in Atlanta's favor right now, Queen has still been rather good for New Orleans. In his minutes, the Pelicans are 4.3 points per 100 possessions better with him on the court (79th percentile), and their eFG% rises by 4.3% (94th percentile among all bigs). However, his impact really shows up when he's involved in New Orleans' half-court offense. The Pelicans are a whopping 12.4 points per 100 plays (97th percentile among all bigs) in the halfcourt when Queen is on the court. That's an incredible impact from a rookie, and he's starting to become a pretty solid defensive rebounder. Queen isn't a star yet, but the Hawks should be devoting a lot of defensive attention in order to make sure he doesn't start another round of Jokic comparisons when he plays them.

New Orleans does miss a lot of shots, but their offensive rebounding numbers are arguably the most impressive part of their statistical indicators. A big part of that has been the play of longtime Warriors center Kevon Looney, who leads the Pelicans with an OREB% of 15.1% (93rd percentile among all bigs). He offers almost nothing as a scorer, but Looney's rebounding and surprisingly decent defense are worth monitoring for the Hawks. Opponents shoot 4% worse when Looney is on the court.

While it's unlikely that Herb Jones is going to play tonight, the Hawks are still going to have to figure out a way to slow down Trey Murphy III. They did a good job of holding him to 19 points on 6-16 shooting in their last game, but Murphy still went 4-10 from deep. He is coming off an absolutely electric performance versus the Lakers, where he scored 42 points on 14-26 shooting, where he also made six threes. LA has one of the worst defenses in basketball, but Atlanta has to be prepared for a big Murphy game as he's arguably the only Pelicans player who consistently creates his own offense.

Injury Report

Trae Young is questionable.

The Pelicans are on a back-to-back, so their injury report hasn't been officially released yet.

How to Watch

Here is how you can watch tonight's game:

Tip-off time: 7:30 p.m. Eastern Time

Location: State Farm Arena, Atlanta, GA

Projected Starting Lineups

Hawks

G - Nickeil Alexander-Walker

G - Dyson Daniels

F - Zaccharie Risacher

F - Jalen Johnson

C - Onyeka Okongwu

Pelicans

G - Jeremiah Fears

G - Trey Murphy III

F- Zion Williamson

F- Karlo Matkovic

C- Derik Queen