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

The Atlanta Hawks are currently one game away from matching their longest losing streak of last season. If they lose tonight against a tough Western Conference opponent in the Minnesota Timberwolves, it would mark Atlanta's eighth straight loss and the second straight year they've gone on an eight-game losing streak.

After the first half of their game against the reigning NBA champions in the Oklahoma City Thunder, it looked like the Hawks might just snap the streak when no one expected to. They were leading at halftime, 74-70, despite missing their two best players in Trae Young and Jalen Johnson. Atlanta punished the Thunder on the boards by grabbing eight offensive boards in the first half and making 14 threes. They finished the game by tying a franchise record with 25 made three-pointers and giving OKC's defense all they could handle. However, they struggled to get stops on defense and the Hawks ended up taking a 140-129 loss back home.

Tonight's game against the Timberwolves should be a decent opportunity to break the streak. The Hawks will get Jalen Johnson back in the lineup and for the first time in weeks, Kristaps Porzingis. It gives the Hawks almost a fully healthy lineup assuming that Trae Young is also able to make it back. They'll need the help - Minnesota is currently the sixth seed in the West and they just blew out a Bulls team that the Hawks lost two consecutive games against.

By the Numbers

Hawks, Atlanta Hawks, NBA, Risacher, Zaccharie Risache — Dec 23, 2024; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves forward Julius Randle (30) is defended by Atlanta Hawks forward Zaccharie Risacher (10) in the first quarter at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

The Hawks had a good offensive showing against the Thunder despite the loss. They are 11th in points, 8th in FG%, 5th in 3P%, 16th in FT%, 25th in rebounds (27th in OREB, 21st in DREB), 1st in assists, and 18th in turnovers per game. They're 17th in offensive rating this year.

As has been the case for practically the entire season, the Hawks defense has been the limiting factor for their performance. The defense ranks 25th in points allowed, 23rd in FG% allowed, 18th in 3P% allowed, 25th in rebounds allowed, 8th in steals, and 15th in blocks. They're 19th in defensive rating on the year.

The Timberwolves have been one of the better offenses in basketball to start the year. They are 9th in points, 9th in FG%, 7th in 3P%, 25th in FT%, 17th in rebounds (18th in OREB and 8th in DREB), 12th in assists, and 9th in turnovers. They are 9th in offensive rating.

Their defense is solid largely due to Rudy Gobert's impact as one of the best rim protectors in basketball. Minnesota is 12th in PPG allowed, 5th in FG% allowed, 7th in 3P% allowed, 14th in rebounds allowed, 13th in steals and 7th in blocks. They are 5th in defensive rating this season.

Three Reasons The Hawks Can Win This Game

Hawks, Atlanta Hawks, NBA, Krejci, Vit Krejc — Jan 27, 2025; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves center Naz Reid (11) dribbles against Atlanta Hawks forward Vit Krejci (27) at Target Center. Mandatory Credit: Bruce Kluckhohn-Imagn Images | Bruce Kluckhohn-Imagn Images

Unsurprisingly, Atlanta's a very different team when Jalen Johnson's in the lineup and he should be a critical part of the Hawks' chances to win this game. The Hawks' offense is 5.7 points per 100 possessions with him on the court, which is good for the 85th percentile among all forwards. There's very few forwards who rival him as a playmaker - his AST% of 34.6% is in the 97th percentile. His presence is extremely important against Minnesota in particular. Even though the advanced stats aren't particularly high on his defense, Julius Randle is a solid defender in isolation and his physicality would be tough for Atlanta to match without Johnson in the lineup.

Despite Onyeka Okongwu's slightly smaller stature, he's played like one of the best offensive centers in basketball as of late. Okongwu's attacking the rim with greater effectiveness than ever before - he's shooting 75% at the rim on a starter's attempts for the first time in his career. He's also scored 23+ points in three of his last five games and he's shot over 50% from three on 3+ attempts in back-to-back games. He dropped 26 points on OKC's double-big combo while also grabbing 14 rebounds. He'll have another tough matchup tonight against Gobert and even with Porzingis coming off the bench, another massive performance from Okongwu could swing this game in Atlanta's favor.

The Timberwolves are obviously familiar with Nickeil Alexander-Walker and will need to prepare for him as either a starter or sixth man, but one bench piece that could also swing the game tonight is Vit Krejci. Krejci is shooting a ridiculous 46.6% from deep while taking almost six threes a game - one hot streak from him could be the difference between a win and a loss. Anthony Edwards and Jalen McDaniels are good defenders, but Krejci might able to punish Minnesota's weaker defenders like Donte DiVicenzo if the shot is falling for him tonight. He is coming off an excellent night against OKC where he made four three-pointers and scored 18 points in the loss. If he can stay hot, that could be tough for the Timberwolves to adjust to.

Three Reasons The Hawks Might Lose This Game

Hawks, Atlanta Hawks, NBA, Timberwolves, Anthony Edwards, Edward — Jan 27, 2025; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony past Edwards (5) drives past Atlanta Hawks forward Mouhamed Gueye (18) in the fourth quarter at Target Center. Mandatory Credit: Bruce Kluckhohn-Imagn Images | Bruce Kluckhohn-Imagn Images

Atlanta hasn't played Minnesota since last season, but it's interesting to see that Minnesota won despite being very sloppy. They held the Hawks to 92 points mostly because Atlanta was missing a ton of talent due to injuries. The Timberwolves just missed a ton of shots. However, it'd be hard to bet on a repeat of that happening. In particular, Anthony Edwards has been having another excellent season for the Wolves and the Hawks are going to have their hands full trying to stop him. He's averaging a career-high 29.1 points on a career-best 62.8 TS%. This is going to be an enormous challenge for Dyson Daniels and Nickeil Alexander-Walker, both of whom will likely spend a good bit of time on Edwards.

Although Rudy Gobert has always been an excellent defender, he's in the midst of one of his best defensive seasons in a long time. When he's on the court, the Timberwolves hold opponents to 16 fewer points per 100 possessions. That's astoundingly good - it's his best on-court impact mark in four seasons. Okongwu had one of his worst games of last season against Gobert, but hopefully, the combination of Porzingis and Okongwu can do enough to give Atlanta's offense a chance against one of the best defenders in the NBA.

One player to keep an eye on for the Timberwolves is fan favorite center Naz Reid. Reid is in the midst of another solid season for the Wolves as a sixth man - he's averaging 14.3 points and 6.2 rebounds on 57.7 TS%. However, he seems to be on a recent hot streak. He's fresh off scoring 33 points against the Bulls, so it's possible that he could be in for another encore performance against the Hawks. It'll be interesting to see which team's double-big combo comes out on top.

Injury Report

Trae Young is questionable.

For the Timberwolves, Terence Shannon Jr is out.

How to Watch

Here is how you can watch tonight's game:

Tip-off time: 3:00 p.m. Eastern Time

Location: State Farm Arena, Atlanta, GA

Where to Watch: FanDuel Sports Network and NBATV

Projected Starting Lineups

Hawks

G - Nickeil Alexander-Walker

G - Dyson Daniels

F - Zaccharie Risacher

F - Kristaps Porzingis

C - Onyeka Okongwu

Timberwolves

G- Anthony Edwards

G- Donte DiVicenzo

F- Jaden McDaniels

F- Julius Randle

C- Rudy Gobert