Final Score Predictions For Atlanta Hawks vs Charlotte Hornets

Who will win tonight's game between the Hawks and the Hornets?

Mar 18, 2025; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young (11) handles the ball against Charlotte Hornets guard Damion Baugh (7) during second quarter at Spectrum Center. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images | Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

Today could be the day that Trae Young makes his return to the Atlanta Hawks lineup. Young has not played since an Oct. 29th win over the Brooklyn Nets and the Hawks have been cautious with their approach and bringing him along. Atlanta is 15-12 right now and in the thick of the Eastern Conference race heading into tonight's game and there is hope that if Young is indeed back that he can help vault them up the standings.

There is still the chance that he does not play tonight that, as he is listed as questionable. In fact, both star point guards might be out tonight, as Hornets PG LaMelo Ball is questionable as well. The injury report is going to be very important tonight.

Looking at the Hawks

Dec 14, 2025; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Hawks forward Zaccharie Risacher (10) dribbles the ball against Philadelphia 76ers forward Paul George (8) during the fourth quarter at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Godfree-Imagn Images | Jordan Godfree-Imagn Images

In the game preview for today's matchup, our own Rohan Raman took a deeper look at how the Hawks have been performing through 27 games:

"Atlanta's offense has been surprisingly solid without Trae Young and their most recent win over the 76ers improved their standing in many offensive metrics. The Hawks are 13th in points, 10th in FG%, 7th in 3P%, 17th in FT%, 24th in rebounds (24th in OREB, 20th in DREB), 1st in assists, and 18th in turnovers per game. They're 13th in offensive rating this year.

On a per-game basis, the Hawks' defense rank 20th in points allowed, 15th in FG% allowed, 10th in 3P% allowed, 24th in rebounds allowed, 5th in steals, and 11th in blocks. They're 15th in defensive rating on the year, which puts them in a barely above-average tier despite having two great two-way players in NAW and Dyson Daniels.

Charlotte's offense has struggled in spite of having three talented scorers in Knueppel, LaMelo Ball and Brandon Miller. They're 19th in points, 24th in FG%, 22nd in 3P%, 3rd in FT%, 15th in rebounds (14th in OREB, 11th in DREB), 18th in assists, and 23rd in turnovers per game. They're 17th in offensive rating this season.

The Hornets' defense also isn't likely to put up much resistance. Although they did hold the Cavaliers to zero points in overtime, that type of effort hasn't been common for Charlotte this year. They are 24th in points allowed, 27th in FG% allowed, 29th in 3P% allowed, 4th in rebounds allowed, 29th in steals, and 14th in blocks. They're 24th in defensive rating, which marks them as one of the worst defenses in the NBA."

I think that the Hawks are well equipped to win this game even if Young does not make his return tonight. The Hornets are not a team that I think can exploit the Hawks without Porzingis. Charlotte nearly got the win the last time these two teams played, but I think Atlanta holds them off one more time to pick up their third win in the last four games.

Final Score: Hawks 121, Hornets 115