Hawks vs Mavericks: Game Preview, Injury Report, Projected Starting Lineups

The Hawks face the Dallas Mavericks at home tonight and they hope to break their three-game losing streak. This has the potential to be one of the highest-scoring games of the night, but a lot of that is going to depend on who suits up tonight for both teams.

Trae Young and Clint Capela are both questionable for the game tonight, as is Mavs guard Kyrie Irving. Those are three huge pieces to the game tonight and who is available might determine who wins this game.

While it is overblown from a national media perspective, this could be another matchup between Luka Doncic and Trae Young, if Young plays. Both players are obviously linked because of the draft night trade in 2018 and both are two of the best players in the NBA.

So who wins tonight's game? Let's preview and break it down.

Game Preview

If Young can suit up, it make for a fun showdown between two of the best offensive playmakers in the NBA. Doncic is currently in the middle of what might be an MVP campaign and if Irving is out, he is going to have the opportunity for a huge night.

Despite having elite players like Doncic and Irving, the Mavs offense is not as elite as you might think. That does not mean that they are not good and effective, but that they are not at the top of the NBA in scoring. They are currently 8th in PPG, 17th in field goal percentage, 2nd in three-point attempts, 14th in three-point percentage, 13th in free throw attempts, 24th in rebounding, and 3rd in turnovers. This is a team that relies on Doncic and Irving to create open shots for them and they take a lot of three-pointers. If Capela plays tonight, he could have a chance to have a big night on the glass due to Dallas's weakness in rebounding.

Per Cleaning the Glass, Dallas is 11th in points per 100 possessions, 12th in effective field goal percentage, 3rd in turnover percentage, 26th in offensive rebounding percentage, and 17th in free throw rate.

Doncic is having an incredible season and is more than worthy of the All-Star starter selection he earned last night. He is averaging 33.6 PPG, 9.3 APG, and 8.5 RPG. He is a threat to score 50 points on any given night or post a triple-double.

Irving is also having a nice season offensively. He is currently averaging 25.2 PPG, 5.3 APG, and 5.1 RPG. He is also another player who is capable of dropping a huge scoring night.

Former Atlanta Hawk Tim Hardaway Jr is in the running for the 6th man of the year award and for good reason. He is averaging 18.1 PPG and shooting well from three. The Mavs offense relies on Doncic and Irving to get open three-point attempts, while also getting pick-and-roll opportunities for rookie center Derick Lively. Lively has been one of the best rookies this year and is perfect for the Mavs.

Given the Hawks's defensive numbers, it could be a big night for multiple players on the Mavericks. Atlanta is 28th in PPG allowed, 29th in field goal percentage allowed, 18th in three-point attempts allowed, and 26th in three-point percentage allowed. Per Cleaning the Glass, they are 26th in points allowed per 100 possessions and 29th in effective field goal percentage allowed.

It should be an obvious point, but the Hawks offense is not anywhere near as good when Young is off the floor. Dejounte Murray and Bogdan Bogdanovic are good players, but neither can create open shots and offense like Young can. Young is averaging nearly 27 PPG and close to 11 APG and was in the running to be an All-Star Game Starter.

The Hawks offense is 6th in PPG, 24th in field goal percentage, 6th in three-point attempts, 19th in three-point percentage, 6th in free throw attempts, 8th in rebounding, and 18th in turnovers, Per Cleaning the Glass, they are 14th in points per 100 possessions, 21st in effective field goal percentage, 16th in turnover percentage, 4th in offensive rebounding percentage, and 8th in free throw rate.

If Young can't play, Bogdanovic will likely start and if Capela can't play, Onyeka Okongwu will start. If both are out, the Hawks are going to be very short-handed, as De'Andre Hunter is still not back from his injury yet. The Hawks bench has handicapped them in the past couple of games and if either player is out, they have to step up.

Did Trae Young Deserve An All-Star Starter Spot?

Injury Report

Clint Capela (left calf contusion), Bruno Fernando (left lower back spasms), Wesley Matthews (right calf strain), and Trae Young (NBA concussion policy) are all questionable.

Mouhamed Gueye (right low back stress fracture), De’Andre Hunter (right knee inflammation), and Vit Krejci (left shoulder subluxation) are all out for Atlanta.

Kyrie Irving is questionable.

Viewing and Betting Information

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

Location: State Farm Arena, Atlanta, GA

Where to Watch: NBA League Pass, Bally Sports Southeast, NBA TV

Spread and Over/Under: The Hawks will be underdogs at home tonight, as they are currently 2.5-point underdogs according to the latest odds from the SI Sportsbook and the over/under is set at 244.5.

Projected Starting Lineups

Hawks:

G- Bogdan Bogdanovic

G- Dejounte Murray

F- Saddiq Bey

F- Jalen Johnson

C- Clint Capela

I will project Young out for now seeing as he has not played in a week. If Capela is out, Okongwu will get the start.

Mavericks:

G- Luka Doncic

G- Kyrie Irving

F- Josh Green

F- Derrick Jones Jr

C- Dereck Lively

Player to Watch on the Hawks- Whoever Starts at Center

The Mavericks are a weak rebounding team and whoever gets the start at center is going to have a chance to have a big night and the Hawks are going to need them to. Atlanta is going to need every possession it can get tonight vs Doncic so rebounding is going to be a big key.

Player to Watch on the Mavericks- Tim Hardaway Jr

I don't normally put bench players on here, but Hardaway Jr is such an important part of their team. Doncic and Irving (if he plays) are likely going to put up numbers no matter what. The Hawks need to limit Hardaway's effectiveness and scoring tonight and force others to make plays.

Prediction

Because of the injury report, it is tough to make a call on this game. Atlanta is capable of winning this if Young and Capela both play, but they will likely lose it if either or both of them are out. The one thing we do know about this game is that Doncic is going to play, giving the Mavericks the best player on the court and the best chance to win.

Final Score: Mavs 125, Hawks 117

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