Hawks vs Wizards: Game Preview, Injury Report, Betting Odds, Projected Starting Lineups For Today's Game

Atlanta picked up a big win last night against the Milwaukee Bucks and now they have a three-game road trip ahead of the All-Star Break. The road trip begins tonight against the team with the worst record in the NBA, the Washington Wizards. For those that don't know, the Wizards have beaten the Hawks twice this season. Washington has also been playing pretty well recently, winning three of their last four, including a near upset win over Cleveland last night. Just because the Wizards have a bad record does not mean they can't win tonight.

The injury report that will come out this afternoon is going to be key tonight. Both the Hawks and the Wizards made new additions at the trade deadline this week, but none have played. The Hawks could be getting Clint Capela, Caris LeVert, Terance Mann, and Georges Niang tonight, which would be a big boost to their bench. Will Marcus Smart and Khris Middleton play for Washington tonight? Will No. 2 pick Alex Sarr return tonight after missing some games?

While the Hawks have struggled over the past two weeks, they have a chance to win their third game in four tries and they are still in the hunt for a top-six spot in the Eastern Conference. This is a game they need to win.

Game Preview

Coming into tonight's game, the Hawks are 9th in the NBA in PPG, 17th in FG%, 15th in 3PA, 24th in 3P%, 2nd in FTA, 28th in turnovers, and 9th in rebounding. Per Cleaning the Glass, Atlanta is 20th in points per 100 possessions, 20th in effective field goal percentage, 20th in turnover percentage, 13th in offensive rebounding percentage, and 6th in free throw rate.

Currently, the Hawks rank 28th in PPG allowed, 27th in field goal percentage allowed, 24th in three-point attempts allowed, and 26th in three-point percentage allowed. Per Cleaning the Glass, Atlanta is 16th in points allowed per 100 possessions and 27th in effective field goal percentage allowed.

Washington comes into this game 27th in PPG, 28th in field goal percentage, 10th in 3PA, 29th in 3P%, 24th in FTA, 18th in rebounding, and 27th in turnovers. Per Cleaning the Glas s, Washington is 30th in points per 100 possessions, 28th in effective field goal percentage, 25th in turnover percentage, 23rd in offensive rebounding percentage, and 28th in free throw rate.

It is not much better defensively for the Wizards. Washington ranks 30th in PPG allowed, 26th in FG% allowed, 28th in 3PA allowed, and 21st in 3P% allowed. Per Cleaning the Glass, Washington ranks 29th in points allowed per 100 possessions and 26th in effective field goal percentage allowed.

Trae Young had his streak of three straight 30-point games broken last night, but had a good night with 24 points and seven assists. He should have no trouble against the porous Wizards defense, but Bilal Coulibaly has given him trouble in the two losses to the Wizards this season. Keep an eye on that matchup tonight.

Dyson Daniels has been playing very well recently, especially on the offense end. He has scored at least 15 points in four straight games and has shot over 50% from the field in three of the last four games. He is going to have to guard Jordan Poole tonight as well, who is coming off of a 45-point game.

No. 1 pick Zaccharie Risacher will have another matchup against this year's No. 2 pick Alex Sarr. Risacher has at least 13 points in four of his last five games and he is more polished for this matchup than earlier in the year.

Who will start at power forward? If Georges Niang is available, will it be him or will Dominick Barlow get another start? Barlow had seven points and four rebounds in 20 minutes last night. Mouhamed Gueye was the star of last night's game, notching his first career double-double with 15 points, 12 rebounds, and four blocks, but don't expect to see him tonight, as he was assigned to the College Park Skyhawks this morning.

Onyeka Okongwu has notched a double-double in three of the last four games and could have a huge night tonight if Sarr does not play. The Wizards traded Jonas Valanciunas and don't have a lot of options at center.

The Hawks bench was huge last night in the victory and should be getting better tonight if Capela, LeVert, Niang, and Mann are able to play. Vit Krejci had 11 points and 10 rebounds last night and Larry Nance scored 11. What will their roles be if those four players are able to play?

Injury Report

Both teams played last night and have yet to release their injury report, which should be released this afternoon.

Update (1:00 p.m.): Trae Young (right Achilles tendinitis) is probable while Terance Mann (trade pending) is questionable.

From the looks of it, Caris LeVert, Georges Niang, and Clint Capela are good to go for tonight.

Alex Sarr, Khris Middleton, Marcus Smart, Alex Len, Saddiq Bey, and Anthony Gill are listed as out for the Wizards against the Hawks tonight.

Odds

According to Fanduel Sportsbook, the Atlanta Hawks are currently 6.5 point favorites tonight and the over/under is set at 236.5.

Projected Starting Lineups

Hawks:

G- Trae Young

G - Dyson Daniels

F - Zaccharie Risacher

F - Dominick Barlow

C - Onyeka Okongwu

Wizards:

G-Bub Carrington

G- Jordan Poole

F- Bilal Coulibaly

F - Kyshawn George

C - Richaun Holmes

Game Preview

Injury Report

Odds

Projected Starting Lineups

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