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

One marked difference in the 2025-26 Hawks is that they have largely done a good job of handling buisness against inferior competition. Because of the moves Atlanta has made over the past few offseasons, they've built a deep roster that can occasionally out-talent the weaker rosters around the NBA. That's exactly what happened against the New Orleans Pelicans.

There wasn't anything particularly complex about what the Hawks did to the Pelicans. Kristaps Porzingis had his best performance in a Hawks jersey to-date, scoring 30 points in 33 minutes while going 11-17 from the field, dishing out four assists against zero turnovers and blocking three shots. He was an absolute machine on a night where Onyeka Okongwu was unable to back him up due to injury. The Pelicans just didn't have anyone who could really match up with him due to his combination of size/shooting and it showed.

Once again, Jalen Johnson stuffed the stat sheet with 18 points, 11 rebounds and nine assists. It wasn't his most efficient night, but he didn't need to be very efficient because the Hawks got a massive performance off the bench from Vit Krejci. His 21 points allowed Atlanta to survive quieter scoring nights from Zaccharie Risacher and Dyson Daniels without ever leaving much of a chance for the Pelicans to come back into the game.

As a team, Atlanta played much better defense against the Pelicans than they employed against the Spurs. While New Orleans was missing several players and hasn't played that well on offense throughout the year, they only shot 30% from deep and one player on the entire team finished with a positive plus-minus. The Hawks' offense was just better - they shot 37% from deep as a team and got stops when they needed to.

Charlotte isn't a particularly challenging opponent, but they are coming into this game with some extra motivation after recieving a 55-point beatdown courtesy of James Harden. They're a young, scrappy team that the Hawks cannot afford to overlook.

By the Numbers

Atlanta Hawks, Hawks, NBA, Johnson, Jalen Johnso — Nov 30, 2024; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Atlanta Hawks forward Jalen Johnson (1) celebrates after a three point basket against the Charlotte Hornets in the fourth quarter at Spectrum Center. Mandatory Credit: Scott Kinser-Imagn Images | Scott Kinser-Imagn Images

The Hawks' offense wasn't the reason for their loss against the Spurs, but they got to redeem themselves by taking care of business against the Pelicans. Accordingly, they've been able to stay float on offense. They're 18th in points, 8th in FG%, 9th in 3P%, 18th in FT%, 25th in rebounds (28th in OREB), 3rd in assists and 13th in turnovers per game. They're 16th in offensive rating on the year, but these games are still a solid supporting argument in having the offense run through multiple players rather than solely Trae Young.

Atlanta's defense is largely trending downwards, but they had a nice performance against New Orleans to get them back to a reasonable level. On a per-game basis, Atlanta ranks 18th in points allowed, 8th in FG% allowed, 7th in 3P% allowed, 23rd in rebounds allowed, 5th in steals and 7th in blocks. They're 15th in defensive rating on the year, which is solid even if it's not an elite placement.

The Charlotte Hornets hit the jackpot last season by drafting Kon Knueppel from Duke, but the overall offense still lacks a ton of cohesion They're 20th in points, 21st in FG%, 19th in 3P%, 6th in FT%, 8th in rebounds (8th in OREB), 30th in assists and 22nd in turnovers per game. That may not be enough in order to get a win over Atlanta.

The Hornets' defense is still struggling to find its way. They're 23rd in points allowed, 28th in FG% allowed, 30th in 3P% allowed, 2nd in rebounds allowed, 28th in steals and 16th in blocks. It's the second straight matchup for Atlanta against a fairly weak defense, so it is reasonable to expect that the Hawks will be in control for most of the game.

Three Reasons Atlanta Can Win This Game

Vit Krejci, Krejci, Hawks, Atlanta Hawk — Mar 18, 2025; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Atlanta Hawks guard Vit Krejci (27) during second quarter against the Charlotte Hornets at Spectrum Center. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images | Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

One of Atlanta' biggest strengths this year has been their depth. Regardless of who's been in and out of the lineup, the Hawks always seem to have playable options that have stepped up at times. No one encapsulates that better than Vit Krejci. Krejci started this year on the fringes of the roster, but he's currently a trusted bench option for Quin Snyder due to the fact that he's made 60.4% of his threes in the Hawks' last seven games. Whether it's him, Onyeka Okongwu or Mo Gueye, Atlanta has three bench players who are capable of stepping up into vacated roles and keeping the Hawks afloat. That's a huge benefit that younger teams like Charlotte do not have.

Whether the Hornets do end up moving on from LaMelo Ball or not, this is quietly a good matchup for Atlanta's perimeter defense. Although NAW and Dyson Daniels are going to struggle to keep LaMelo in check as a scorer, he's extremely turn-over prone (14.9 TOV%) and doesn't always take the best shots. If the Hawks can pressure LaMelo into making bad decisions on the court, this will be a game where Atlanta can just shut down the Hornets' offense before it really gets going.

Charlotte's biggest weakness this season was widely projected to be their center rotation. Ryan Kalkbrenner has done an excellent job of stepping in and providing competent center play. He's averaging almost 10 points, 7.2 rebounds and 2.1 blocks while shooting a NBA-best 82.2% on two-pointers. For a rookie, that's very impressive. However, Kalkbrenner suffered an injury against the Clippers and it's currently unclear if the rookie center can suit up against the Hawks. While his replacement, Moussa Diabate, is a good rebounder, he isn't quite capable of matching up with Porzingis and/or Okongwu. This could be a game with very little resistance in the paint against the Hawks if Kalkbrenner is unavaliable or even limited for the Hornets tonight.

Three Reasons Atlanta Might Lose This Game

Dyson Daniels, Daniels, Hawks, Atlanta Hawk — Mar 18, 2025; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Atlanta Hawks guard Dyson Daniels (5) goes to the basket against Charlotte Hornets guard Damion Baugh (7) during first quarter at Spectrum Center. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images | Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

Kon Knueppel has been a tough problem for defenses to limit since he's really stepped into a featured role for the team. He's averaged 24+ points for the last three games and making 4+ threes in each of them. Knueppel's shooting is genuinely fantastic - he's hitting 54% of his midranges (84th percentile among all wings) and shooting 42% from downtown. Charlotte scores 6.3 more points per 100 possessions when Knueppel is on the floor compared to when he is sitting. His defense hasn't been as impressive, but he's a great passer and fits so well within the rhythm of this offense that he's someone the Hawks need to watch out for.

It'll be interesting to see how the Hawks fare on the boards. Against New Orleans, who actually have been a solid rebounding team, they narrowly lost the rebound battle by a margin of 35-32. Unfortunately, the Hornets are a much better rebounding team that also boasts a lot of athleticism in its starting lineup when healthy. It's going to be tough for the Hawks to keep Charlotte off the boards and away from adding tons of extra possessions, but these are the types of games that true favorites in the East win with ease.

Brandon Miller's return could also light a spark under the Hornets. After missing 13 games with a shoulder injury, Miller returned to the starting lineup and scored 21 points in his first game back. He obviously has his flaws, but there's no question that Miller has a ton of potential. He could be a tough player for the Hawks to slow down due to his ability to make tough shots and get buckets at the rim due to his size.

Injury Report

Both the Hawks and Hornets are on a back-to-back and will not release their injury reports until later in the day.

How to Watch

Here is how you can watch tonight's game:

Tip-off time: 6:00 p.m. Eastern Time

Location: State Farm Arena, Atlanta, GA

Where to Watch: FanDuel Sports Network

Projected Starting Lineups

Hawks

G - Dyson Daniels

G - Nickeil Alexander-Walker

F - Zaccharie Risacher

F - Jalen Johnson

C - Kristaps Porzingis

Hornets

G - LaMelo Ball

G - Brandon Miller

F - Kon Knueppel

F - Miles Bridges

C - Moussa Diabate