Hawks vs Heat: Game Preview, Injury Report, Projected Starting Lineup for Tonight's Matchup

The Hawks haven't been playing their best basketball as of late. They're currently riding a four-game losing streak marked by poor defense and inconsistent offense. However, these issues have been a problem for a while now. Atlanta has lost eight out of their last ten games and they've dropped to the 9th seed in the Eastern Conference.

There is still plenty of season left and there's a lot to be excited about for the Hawks. However, it is frustrating that they seemingly run into the same problems with no real plan for improvement or progress in the right direction. Fortunately, they might be able to get some ground against a familiar opponent tonight. The Miami Heat are currently 8th in the East as a play-in team. They will also be missing Tyler Herro for tonight's game, which should make things easier for Atlanta's defense. Bam Adebayo is also questionable, so this is a reasonably good time to catch Miami on the schedule.

Atlanta's job is relatively simple tonight - play better defense and snap this losing streak.

By the Numbers

Dyson Daniels, Daniels, Heat, Miami Heat, NB — Apr 18, 2025; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Miami Heat forward Andrew Wiggins (22) dribbles against Atlanta Hawks guard Dyson Daniels (5) during the first half at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images | Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

Atlanta's offense has been frustrating at times, but they're largely solid on that end. They are 12th in points, 7th in FG%, 5th in 3P%, 16th in FT%, 25th in rebounds (27th in OREB, 22nd in DREB), 1st in assists, and 18th in turnovers per game. They're 12th in offensive rating this year.

Conversely, Atlanta's defense has a lot of work to do. The Hawks' defense ranks 24th in points allowed, 23rd in FG% allowed, 18th in 3P% allowed, 24th in rebounds allowed, 5th in steals, and 12th in blocks. They're 18th in defensive rating on the year.

Miami's had a reputation as being a solid two-way team and they've continued to live up to that reputation. They're 9th in points, 14th in FG%, 7th in 3P%, 16th in FT%, 7th in rebounds (21st in OREB, 2nd in DREB), 7th in assists, and 7th in turnovers per game. They're 18th in offensive rating this year.

Still, it'd be a stretch to say they're a bad defensive team. The Heat are 20th in points allowed, 4th in FG% allowed, 6th in 3P% allowed, 29th in rebounds allowed, 10th in steals, and 18th in blocks. They're 7th in defensive rating on the year. Even though they aren't flashy, the Heat's fundamentals are usually very solid and their stagnation to the play-in range has to do with the fact that their roster lacks a true No. 1 scoring option.

Three Reasons Atlanta Can Win This Game

Hawks, Atlanta Hawks, NBA, Wiggins, Andrew Wiggin — Apr 18, 2025; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Miami Heat forward Andrew Wiggins (22) controls the ball against Atlanta Hawks guard Dyson Daniels (5) during the first half at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images | Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

While the Heat are coming into this game banged up, the Hawks are getting healthier. Dyson Daniels will be back from injury and is expected to resume his usual spot in the starting lineup. Daniels has definitely struggled on offense this season, but he's still a great defender with some playmaking instincts. Tyler Herro has actually given Daniels problems as recently as Atlanta's final play-in game, but he won't have to worry about that matchup tonight. Davion Mitchell has been starting games at the PG spot in Herro's absence and he's a good defender, but his main value to the Heat on offense is through his passing. If Daniels can force him into some turnovers and take away one of Miami's main playmakers, their offense becomes much easier to stop. Powell's scoring has been extremely important to the Heat's offense as well, but he's currently on a cold streak. Daniels' presence in the lineup is critical for any sort of improvement on defense.

Miami's offense is also undergoing some struggles. The Heat adopted a new offensive scheme this season that reduces ball screens and increases the amount of movement in the half-court. After being one of the slowest teams in the NBA for multiple seasons in a row, Miami is now leading the league in pace and it led to a ton of success on offense at the beginning of the season. However, their last ten games have been a struggle as teams have seemingly adjusted to their new offense. They're keeping Miami out of the paint and the Heat have been unable to adjust. Atlanta's frontcourt has allowed a lot of cutters to the rim in recent games, but they theoretically have the size to accomplish this strategy. It's just a matter of execution.

It'll also be interesting to see how the Heat approach a Hawks offense that runs through Jalen Johnson just as much as it does Trae Young. This will be their first matchup of the season and the Heat have often been able to neutralize the Hawks in the past by blitzing Trae Young. Davion Mitchell has had a ton of great reps against Young and Atlanta's lack of playmakers outside of Trae made their offense one-dimensional. Johnson is averaging the fifth-most assists in the NBA, so he's certainly capable of running the offense if Young is taken out of the game. Andrew Wiggins/Ke'el Ware are both solid defenders, but there's no reason Johnson can't dominate this matchup and give Miami a new look they haven't encountered in the past.

Three Reasons Atlanta Might Lose This Game

Hawks, Atlanta Hawks, NBA, Young, Trae Young, Mitchell, Davion Mitchel — Apr 18, 2025; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young (11) tries to get to the basket against Miami Heat guard Davion Mitchell (45) during the first half at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images | Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

Davion Mitchell has routinely been a problem for the Hawks ever since getting traded to Miami. In the four games he's played in the Heat-Hawks matchup, he's scored 15+ points in three of those games with the best performance being a 20-pt game where he went 5-5 from deep and his 16-point performance where he made four threes and boxed Trae Young out on a pivotal rebound late in the game to end the Hawks' season. It's going to be a big challenge for Young to power through this matchup and recently, the Hawks have needed every bit of what he brings on offense to hang around in these games.

Although the Heat turn the ball over at the sixth-highest TOV% in the NBA, they do a good job of getting back in transition and limiting the damage. They concede the sixth-fewest points off of turnovers and the 14th-most points in fast break situations. That means that the Hawks can't just rely on outrunning or out-hustling the Heat in order to get pts.

The Heat are notorious for finding NBA players in value spots and it seems they may have it done it again with power forward/center Ke'el Ware. He had a strong rookie season last year, but he's been instrumental towards their success this season. He's averaging a double-double, shooting a ridiculous 49% from three-point range on limited volume and increasing Miami's offensive by 5.6% in his minutes, which is in the 92nd percentile among all big men. The combination of Ware and Adebayo is going to be a tough one for the Hawks to contain.

Injury Report

Atlanta Hawks: Kristaps Porzingis and Eli John Ndaiye are out while Mo Gueye is questionable.

Miami Heat: Tyler Herro and Terry Rozier are out while Bam Adebayo and Keshad Johnson are questionable. Pelle Larsson and Nikola Jovic are probable.

How to Watch

Here is how you can watch tonight's game:

Tip-off time: 7:00 p.m. Eastern Time

Location: State Farm Arena, Atlanta, GA

Where to Watch: FanDuel Sports Network and NBATV

Projected Starting Lineups

Hawks

G - Trae Young

G - Dyson Daniels

F - Zaccharie Risacher

F - Jalen Johnson

C - Onyeka Okongwu

Heat

G - Davion Mitchell

G - Norman Powell

F - Andrew Wiggins

F - Ke'el Ware

C - Bam Adebayo