Four Keys to Hawks Beating Hornets Tonight

After meeting in the 2022 Eastern Conference Play-In Tournament last spring, the Atlanta Hawks and Charlotte Hornets have had disastrous starts to the season. Atlanta is 14-15, while Charlotte's 7-21 record is a league-worst.

Even though Charlotte is riding a six-game losing streak, they are still considered favorites to win tonight. Earlier this morning, we covered the odds in our game-day preview. Below are the four keys to victory for Atlanta.

Role Players

Atlanta will be without three starters tonight - Dejounte Murray, John Collins, and Clint Capela. To make matters worse, Atlanta's bench is sorely lacking. When the starters are not on the floor, Atlanta has the fifth-worst net rating in the NBA.

With Onyeka Okongwu, AJ Griffin, and Trent Forrest in the starting lineup (assuming head coach Nate McMillan goes with a small-ball lineup), the second unit has little punch. Veteran shooting Bogdan Bogdanovic is the only reliable playmaker coming off the bench, and that is likely not enough.

Defense

Atlanta's defensive rating is in the middle of the pack. Besides the blowout losses, which are outliers, the team plays much better defense than last season. But that is with Murray, Collins, and Capela on the floor.

Charlotte has the worst offensive rating in the league. The short-handed Hawks cannot allow a repeat of the 126-109 loss on October 23, where Hornets players got wherever they wanted on offense.

LaMelo Ball

The basketball world was robbed of its biannual matchup between Trae Young and Ja Morant earlier this week. Luckily, hoops fans should get to see LaMelo Ball versus Young tonight.

Ball has only played in four games this season due to ankle injuries. However, Ball is returning to form, which means the engine of Charlotte's offense is warming up. Forcing Ball into turning the ball over and overall sloppy play is key for Atlanta's defense.

Trae Young

Trae Young's shooting slump is well-documented. After a historic season where he led the league in total points and assists, Young is shooting the worst percentages of his career.

Wednesday night's game in Orlando used to be the kind of matchup that Young would take over with a 35 or 40-point performance. That has not been the case this year. Until Young can correct his shot, his game remains neutralized.