Hawks at Hornets Game Day Preview

Preview

Scouting Report

With 83% of the regular season completed, the postseason picture has taken shape. Barring a miraculous run, the Hawks and Hornets are destined for a date in the Play-In tournament.

The good news is the Hawks have won two of three matchups against the Hornets this season, and a win tonight locks up the season series. Even better, it provides a little more separation between the two teams in the standings. Currently, the Hawks have a half-game lead for the 9th spot.

One thing we can count on tonight is plenty of offensive fireworks. The Hawks have the second-best offensive rating, and the Hornets play at the third-highest pace in the league. Couple that with both teams having a bottom-seven defensive rating, and it's safe to assume the game will move at a frantic pace.

Kelly Oubre Jr. was ejected for this Flagrant 2 foul. pic.twitter.com/7Hc1l1bmy1
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) January 24, 2022

Speaking of fireworks, the last two times these teams played each other on January 23, Hornets forward Kelly Oubre laid out De'Andre Hunter with a foul that was upgraded to a Flagrant 2. Will there be any bad blood between these two Southeast Division rivals tonight? Tune in to find out.

Injury Report

The Hornets injury report lists Gordon Hayward (left ankle) as out. The Hawks injury report lists Danilo Gallinari (right Achilles soreness) as probable and John Collins (right ring finger sprain/right foot strain) has already been ruled out.

Uniforms

Thanks to NBA LockerVision, we know what each team will be wearing so you can plan your gear accordingly. The Hawks will wear the Association Edition (White), and the Hornets will wear the Icon Edition (teal).

Odds

SI Sportsbook lists the Hornets as 1.5-point favorites and the over/under is set at 238.5 points. I understand the bookmakers' reticence about picking the Hawks. They have been wildly inconsistent lately and bailed out by Trae Young the last two games.

As always, we will be live-tweeting the game and back here later for your post-game recap. Stay locked into Sports Illustrated's AllHawks.com for breaking news, highlights, and analysis.

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