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

The Atlanta Hawks are officially rolling - they've gone 6-2 without Trae Young and have won three straight games for the first time this season. Tonight was arguably their most dominant win of the season. The Kings were pretty much at full strength and the Hawks steamrolled them to the tune of a dominant 133-100 win.

Jalen Johnson continues to fall just short of a triple-double and he did it again with a stellar 24 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists while only missing one shot from the field. He also hit two threes, which is a part of his game that has not quite come around yet. Johnson is showing that he can be a legitimate #2 option at the very least who can rise to the role of a #1 at times and it's been massive for Atlanta's success to have him in the lineup.

It wasn't just him, though. Onyeka Okongwu had 21 points off the bench and Zaccharie Risacher finished with 15 points on similarly efficient 7-8 shooting from the field. Kristaps Porzingis didn't have an overwhelming game, but he still chipped in 13 points and six assists while hitting two threes. Nickeil Alexander-Walker also made his return to the lineup and had a nice all-around performance with 14 points, six rebounds, four assists and two blocks.

Atlanta was favored to beat Sacramento, but it's clear that these two teams are just operating on a different level. The Kings looked slow and ineffective in comparison to Atlanta's young, athletic lineup. The Hawks also just played a better brand of team basketball and they'll need to continue doing that against a rebuilding Jazz team that has enough spunk to catch teams unaware.

By the Numbers

Dyson Daniels, Daniels, Atlanta Hawks, Hawk — Apr 6, 2025; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Utah Jazz guard Keyonte George (3) is defended by Atlanta Hawks guard Dyson Daniels (5) in the third quarter at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

As expected in a blowout win, the Hawks' offense moved up many of the rankings this week. They are 19th in points, 10th in FG%, 17th on 3P%, 15th in FT%, 21st in rebounds (24th in OREB), 4th in assists and 13th in turnovers per game. They're 20th in offensive rating on the year. Still, when they play good team basketball, it's much easier to stomach the fact that Trae Young isn't at the wheel.

Atlanta's defense completely locked up the Kings - they turned a largely healthy Sacramento offense into a joke. On a per-game basis, Atlanta now ranks 5th in points allowed, 7th in FG% allowed, 3rd in 3P% allowed, 22nd in rebounds allowed, 8th in steals and 8th in blocks. They're 5th in defensive rating on the year, which would be a great sign of progress if it holds up through a larger sample.

Utah's offense is still sorting out the best way to maximize all of its pieces. They're 20th in points per game, 26th in FG%, 28th on 3P%, 4th in FT%, 5th in rebounds (2nd in OREB), 6th in assists and 28th in turnovers per game. The advanced statistics don't paint a great picture - they're 23rd in offensive rating.

As expected, Utah's defense is one of the worst in the NBA. They're 25th in points allowed, 16th in FG% allowed, 11th in 3P% allowed, 9th in rebounds allowed, 26th in steals and 26th in blocks. While the Hawks probably won't be able to repeat their performance in Sacramento, this isn't exactly a threatening defense to try it against.

Three Reasons Atlanta Can Win This Game

Vit Krejci, Krejci, Hawks, Atlanta Hawk — Jan 7, 2025; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Utah Jazz guard Collin Sexton (2) tries to create from Atlanta Hawks guard Vit Krejci (27) during the second half at Delta Center. Mandatory Credit: Chris Nicoll-Imagn Images | Chris Nicoll-Imagn Images

Vit Krejci has been playing really good basketball over the past two games. After a 27-point explosion against the Clippers, Krejci followed it up with a 11-point effort where he nailed three of his five attempts from deep. The combination of Luke Kennard (3-6 from deep) and Krejci kept Atlanta's lead in place at big moments. To put Krejci's numbers in perspective, he's shooting 44% from deep on the season. That ranks in the 80th percentile among all wings. If he continues to shoot at this level, Krejci is going to earn his way into more minutes.

The injury to Walker Kessler was a huge blow for the Jazz, but Jusuf Nurkic deserves credit for stepping up and trying to fill his spot in the starting lineup. The problem is that Nurkic's offense is a massive problem. The Jazz are nearly 20.5 points per game better with him off the court for the offense, which ranks in the 1st percentile among all centers. This should be a great matchup for Porzingis, Okongwu and Gueye to flex their defensive chops and hopefully limit Nurkic from providing much of an impact in this game.

One of the best parts of Atlanta's win over the Kings was their playmaking and pace. They had 44 assists as a team compared to Sacramento's 22 and scored 33 fast-break points to the Kings' 8 points. That's been a continuation of a trend in their wins - they've looked like the more athletic team in each of these games and it's been a factor in all three.

Three Reasons Atlanta Might Lose This Game

Hawks, Atlanta Hawks, Risacher, Zaccharie Risache — Apr 6, 2025; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Hawks forward Zaccharie Risacher (10) shoots past Utah Jazz guard Svi Mykhailiuk (19) in the second quarter at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

The top threat for the Hawks to slow down tonight is going to be Lauri Markkanenn. He's looking much more like the player who was the object of fascination for many NBA teams during the 2023 offseason and has carried the Jazz to some degree of respectability. He's averaging a career-high 28.3 points, six rebounds and two assists on 61 TS% - that'll be a tough cover for Jalen Johnson tonight.

Ace Bailey hasn't had the start that many envisioned when Utah selected him with the fifth overall pick, but he is coming off the best performance of his career. Bailey scored 20 points on 4-8 shooting from deep and he's been a fantastic rebounder thus far. He is in the 99th percentile among all wings for offensive rebounding and the Hawks are going to need to keep him off the boards to prevent a ton of second-chance points for the Jazz.

Atlanta's rebounding isn't really a strength for the Hawks, but it is absolutely one of the Jazz's biggest advantages. They are 5th in rebounding despite missing contributions from their starting center and they consistently go for extra chances on the boards. That might be an area where the Hawks get exposed due to Porzingis's rebounding struggles.

Injury Report

Atlanta Hawks: Kristaps Porzingis, Nikola Durisic and Trae Young are all likely to be ruled out. However, the team is on a back-to-back and the injury report will be updated here when it is posted.

Utah Jazz: Taylor Hendricks, Kyle Anderson and Walker Kessler are all out. Georges Niang is questionable.

How to Watch

Here is how you can watch tonight's game:

Tip-off time: 9:00 p.m. Eastern Time

Location: Delta Center, Salt Lake City, UT

Where to Watch: FanDuel Sports Network

Spread and Over/Under: The Hawks will be favored on the road tonight, as they are currently 2-point favorites according to the latest odds from the Fanduel Sportsbook, and the over/under is set at 233.5.