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

Since Trae Young went down, the Hawks have struggled to find consistency on offense. However, their defense has been excellent and they've shot the ball well from three in almost all of their wins without Young. It's fair to point out that Atlanta hasn't exactly faced stiff competition and have benefitted from opposing teams' injuries, but they can only beat who's on their schedule and they have done a fantastic job of not playing down to their competition.

Even if it may not seem like it, tonight is a great test for the red-hot Hawks. Phoenix traded Kevin Durant away, but they were able to build a more complete team that looks a lot more cohesive than the squad they had last year. They're currently on a five-game winning streak and while Jalen Green likely won't be available tonight, the Hawks will still have to slow down Devin Booker and limit the impact of Phoenix's solid rotation of veterans.

Atlanta needs to have a more complete showing tonight than they did against the Jazz. Although they got an incredible 31 point, 18 rebound and 14 assist game from Jalen Johnson, their defense let up 122 points to a mediocre-at-best Jazz offense. They also choked a 13-point lead at the start of the third quarter and let the Jazz get back into the game in the fourth quarter, which cannot happen against the Suns.

By the Numbers

Risacher, Zaccharie Risacher, Hawks, Atlanta Hawks, NB — Jan 9, 2025; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Atlanta Hawks forward Zaccharie Risacher (10) against the Phoenix Suns at Footprint Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

It's still early enough in the season where big games can vault teams a few spots up the rankings and they got exactly that against the Jazz. Atlanta is 17th in points, 10th in FG%, 13th on 3P%, 18th in FT%, 21st in rebounds (26th in OREB), 3rd in assists and 15th in turnovers per game. They're 20th in offensive rating on the year and while it's not impressive, the offense without Young has been passable as of late.

Atlanta's defense has been excellent, but they had an off game against the Jazz and allowed a 40-piece from Lauri Markkanen. On a per-game basis, Atlanta ranks 7th in points allowed, 7th in FG% allowed, 5th in 3P% allowed, 25th in rebounds allowed, 3rd in steals and 8th in blocks. They're 5th in defensive rating on the year and it seems clear that this is going to be a much better defense than the team has fielded in recent seasons.

Devin Booker is having a stellar year for the Suns despite losing two of the team's major scoring options from last season. He's a big part of why Phoenix is 12th in points, 13th in FG%, 5th on 3P%, 10th in FT%, 19th in rebounds (11th in OREB), 9th in assists and 20th in turnovers per game. The advanced statistics have them as one of the ten best offenses in basketball with a ninth-place rating of 117.1.

Dillon Brooks, Ryan Dunn and head coach Jordan Ott have led the charge in transitioning one of the worst defenses in the NBA into a rock-solid unit. They're 9th in points allowed, 11th in FG% allowed, 8th in 3P% allowed, 10th in rebounds allowed, 4th in steals and 16th in blocks. This is going to be one of the toughest defensive matchups the Hawks have faced this year.

Three Reasons Atlanta Can Win This Game

Atlanta Hawks, Hawks, NBA, Johnson, Jalen Johnso — Nov 13, 2025; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Atlanta Hawks forward Jalen Johnson (1) looks to drive against Utah Jazz forward Lauri Markkanen (23) during the second half at Delta Center. Mandatory Credit: Rob Gray-Imagn Images | Rob Gray-Imagn Images

Jalen Johnson almost certainly won't repeat his career-best numbers from the Utah game, but he's still going to be one of the hardest matchups the Suns have had all year. He's averaging a stunning 21.5 points, 9.5 rebounds and 6.3 assists per game on the best TS% of his career (65%). Encouragingly, his three point shot seems to have calibrated itself as he's made at least one three-pointer in four of his last five games and made multiple in three of them. Johnson's had to shoulder a major offensive burden this season and so far, he's done a great job of handling it. This offense should flow through him more even when Trae Young returns.

It might not get the same headlines, but Onyeka Okongwu's performance against the Jazz is exactly why the Hawks have an advantage at the center position that very few teams enjoy. They have two quality bigs who are capable of stepping into a starting workload. In the absence of Kristaps Porzingis, Okongwu torched the Jazz's defense for 32 points and made an astonishing eight of his fourteen attempts from deep. His jump shot has been a revelation for the Hawks this year and that could be an advantage against a mediocre Suns center rotation. Mark Williams has been a good starter for the Suns and he ranks in the 91st percentile for STL% among all centers while being a solid rim protector. However, backup Nick Richards is basically entirely a rebounder that brings very little value on either end. Both Porzingis and Okongwu being avaliable means that the Hawks will be able to attack Richards and perhaps wear down Williams over the course of the game.

Vit Krejci was almost entirely out of the rotation to begin the year, but he's caught fire in his four games. He's put up 17, 28, 11 and 20 points off the bench and he's shooting the ball better than ever. He's hitting a ludicrous 51% of his three-pointers on 5.4 attempts per game and ranks second league-wide in 3P%. Atlanta will need him to keep playing like this, especially with Trae Young out. Krejci has supercharged the Garrison Mathews role from last season and while this hot streak will almost definitely cool off at some point, the Hawks should continue to ride it out.

Three Reasons Atlanta Might Lose This Game

Devin Booker, Booker, Hawks, Atlanta Hawks, NB — Jan 14, 2025; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker (1) directs his teammates against the Atlanta Hawks during the first half at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images | Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

These days, Devin Booker is about as unguardable as they come. He's averaging a career-best 28.5 points per game to go with seven assists and 4.2 rebounds on a career-best 62.2 TS%. Booker is likely going to be guarded by a combination of Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Dyson Daniels. While those two are good defender and can certainly give him a challenge, it's entirely possible that Booker carries Phoenix to a win essentially by himself.

While Mark Williams isn't necessarily a star center, he's making a star-level impact on Phoenix's defense. The Suns are 12.5 points better on defense when Williams is in the lineup, which ranks in the 95th percentile. He's averaging a respectable 11.7 points and 8.8 rebounds while shooting 72% at the rim. Atlanta is 8th in points in the paint, so they should be able to give Williams some challenges on the interior. However, it isn't out of the question that he could shut them down because of how well he's playing.

While the loss of Grayson Allen is notable for the Suns, the Hawks need to prepare themselves for Dillon Brooks and Royce O'Neale. Brooks' offense has taken a surprising leap in Phoenix - he's averaging a career-best 20.3 points on 57.6 TS% while playing a ton of minutes for the Suns. Brooks' defensive IQ is extremely impressive and while he has taken steps back as an isolation defender, his defensive smarts have helped him pos a STL% of 2.7%, good for the 91st percentile among all wings. O'Neale is having another great season from deep, hitting 45.4% of his threes while taking 7.4 of them a game. He can be exploited on defense, but there's no question that he makes Phoenix's offense much better and a worthwhile matchup for Atlanta's defense.

Injury Report

Atlanta Hawks: Trae Young is out.

Phoenix Suns: Jalen Green and Grayson Allen are both out.

How to Watch

Here is how you can watch tonight's game:

Tip-off time: 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time

Location: Footprint Center, Phoenix, AZ

Where to Watch: FanDuel Sports Network

Spread and Over/Under: The Hawks will be favored on the road tonight, as they are currently 1.5-point favorites according to the latest odds from the Fanduel Sportsbook, and the over/under is set at 229.5.

Projected Starting Lineups

Hawks:

G - Nickeil Alexander-Walker

G - Dyson Daniels

F - Zaccharie Risacher

F - Jalen Johnson

C - Kristaps Porzingis

Suns

G - Devin Booker

G - Collin Gillespie

F - Dillon Brooks

F - Royce O'Neale

C - Mark Williams