Hawks and Celtics Pivot To New Starting Lineups With Pair of Starters Out

The Hawks and the Celtics are going to have to have new lineups with Payton Pritchard and Dyson Daniels missing tonight's game

Jan 9, 2026; Denver, Colorado, USA; Atlanta Hawks guard Dyson Daniels (5) looks on during the second half against the Denver Nuggets at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images | Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

The Atlanta Hawks are set to host the Boston Celtics tonight, and they are hoping that they can snap their two-game losing streak. After two impressive wins over Denver and Golden State, the Hawks have turned in two dismal defensive performances against the Lakers and the Blazers.

For the entire road trip, the Hawks did not have Zaccharie Risacher or Kristaps Porzingis, and that is not going to change tonight against the Celtics. On the Hawks injury report that was just released, Porzingis (left Achilles tendinitis) and Risacher (left knee, bone contusion) are still listed as out, but there was a new addition to the injury report.

Dyson Daniels was added to the injury report last night and is going to miss tonight's game vs the Celtics.

With Daniels being out, CJ McCollum is going to make his first start as an Atlanta Hawk tonight. Boston also had to pivot to a different starting lineup due to Peyton Pritchard being out tonight:

Hawks

G- Nickeil Alexander-Walker

G- CJ McCollum

F- Vit Krejci

F_ Jalen Johnson

C- Onyeka Okongwu

Celtics

G- Baylor Scheierman

G- Derrick White

F- Jaylen Brown

F- Sam Hauser

C- Neemias Queta

Who wins tonight?

Jan 15, 2026; Portland, Oregon, USA; Portland Trail Blazers forward Jerami Grant (9) defends Atlanta Hawks guard CJ McCollum (3) during the first half at Moda Center. Mandatory Credit: Jaime Valdez-Imagn Images | Jaime Valdez-Imagn Images

The Hawks now have a 20-23 record, but what do their advanced numbers say about the way they are playing? Our own Rohan Raman took a deeper look at the numbers for Atlanta:

Atlanta's offense has been strong throughout the season, but they are in a funk right now. The absences of Zaccharie Risacher and Kristaps Porzingis are starting to linger in a way that the Hawks do not seem able to overcome. Nevertheless, they are still 8th in points, 7th in FG%, 6th in 3P%, 24th in FT%, 25th in rebounds (26th in OREB, 17th in DREB), 1st in assists, and 16th in turnovers per game. They're 19th in offensive rating this year.

The defense did better against Portland, but there's still no semblance of consistency and their performance is highly dependent on the opponent. The Hawks' defense ranks 25th in points allowed, 23rd in FG% allowed, 13th in 3P% allowed, 26th in rebounds allowed, 5th in steals, and 17th in blocks. They're 16th in defensive rating this year.

The counting stats don't provide many indications that the Celtics are one of the league's best offenses, but the advanced numbers indicate Boton can score with the best of them. They're 14th in points, 12th in FG%, 9th in 3P%, 11th in FT%, 12th in rebounds (6th in OREB, 18th in DREB), 29th in assists, and 1st in turnovers per game. While they don't have one elite skill, the combination of competence in many different areas has led them to 2nd in offensive rating.

Boston's defense isn't at the same level it was during their championship run, but it's still a very effective unit. The Celtics are 2nd in points allowed, 3rd in FG% allowed, 23rd in 3P% allowed, 5th in rebounds allowed, 20th in steals, and 8th in blocks. They're 15th in defensive rating this year."

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