Atlanta Hawks vs Phoenix Suns: Injury Report For Tomorrow's Game

The Atlanta Hawks are getting ready for their second matchup with the Phoenix Suns in the last five days, with the two teams facing off tomorrow night at State Farm Arena. The Hawks have had not played since losing in Phoenix last Thursday due to having their game vs Houston on Saturday postponed due to weather. Ahead of the game tomorrow, the Hawks have released their injury report.

Jalen Johnson remains out for the Hawks with right shoulder inflammation. This is going to be the fourth consecutive missed game for Johnson the fifth missed game in the last six opportunities. Trae Young (illness) and Bogdan Bogdanovic (right knee inflammation) are both questionable.

An @emoryhealthcare injury report for tomorrow’s game vs. Phoenix:

Bogdan Bogdanovic (right knee inflammation): Questionable
Trae Young (illness): Questionable

Kobe Bufkin (right shoulder surgery): Out
Jalen Johnson (right shoulder inflammation): Out
Larry Nance Jr. (right hand… pic.twitter.com/YzfgkUQxdQ
— Atlanta Hawks (@ATLHawks) January 13, 2025

It is hard to overstate how much he means to the team. Johnson is a terrific rebounder and helps with rim protection, a good on-ball defender, and is the Hawks' second-best offensive creator. He is making a legitimate case to be an All-Star this season with the numbers that he is putting up. He is averaging 19.8 PPG, 10.1 RPG, and 5.3 APG on 51% shooting from the field and 33% from three. He also has an effective field goal percentage of 56% and a true shooting percentage of 58%.

Atlanta does not have a replacement for Johnson when he is gone and that is one of the biggest holes on the team. Not only do they not have a real backup power forward behind him, but one of the Hawks's other weaknesses is that they don't have a reliable backup point guard. When Johnson is out of the lineup, Atlanta loses their best frontcourt player, and one of their best ball handlers as well. He has the highest plus/minus (+2.4) on the team for a reason.

There are a few things that the Hawks have to fix ahead of facing the Suns tomorrow night.

Phoenix got solid games from their two biggest stars Kevin Durant and Devin Booker, but they were not the main reasons that Phoenix won. Bradley Beal and Grayson Allen came off the bench on Thursday to score a combined 48 points off the bench and both players had elite shooting numbers. Beal shot 11-6 from the field and scored 25 points while Allen was 7-8 (5-6 from three) from the field. Atlanta has to find a way to slow those guys down off the bench when they have a rematch on Tuesday.

Jan 9, 2025; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Atlanta Hawks guard Dyson Daniels (5) against Phoenix Suns guard Bradley Beal (3) at Footprint Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

After shooting 67% from three in the first half, the Hawks shooting from deep fell flat in the second half, going 3-14 from beyond the arc. The Suns continued to shoot well and both Bradley Beal and Grayson Allen came off the bench to help put the Hawks away. The Hawks bench outscored Phoenix 38-27 in the first half, but the Suns bench was a catalyst for them winning that game in the second half, outscoring the Hawks bench 29-16. Can the Hawk's offense have a strong game from start to finish?

Atlanta is one of the better rebounding teams in the league, but they lost the rebounding battle 42-32 on Thursday. Mason Plumlee had 10 rebounds while Beal and Ryan Dunn each had seven for Phoenix and aside from Clint Capela (11 rebounds), the Hawks got beat up on the glass. Phoenix got 13 second-chance points off of 12 offensive rebounds. This is an area where the Hawks badly miss Jalen Johnson and having him back on Tuesday should help keep the Sun's rebounding numbers down.

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