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

Hawks basketball is back tonight.

After two days off, the Atlanta Hawks are back in action tonight and looking to build off of their win against the Brooklyn Nets. Atlanta has been playing great basketball on offense and Trae Young is starting to find his rhythm shooting the ball. He scored 38 points in a loss against the Pacers and then 43 in the win over the Nets. He took over in overtime and reminded everyone why he is one of the top point guards in the NBA.

This will be the second matchup between the Wizards and the Hawks, with Atlanta winning convincingly at home in the last one. The Wizards have lost eight in a row coming into the game tonight.

So who wins the game tonight? Let's break down the matchup.

Game Preview

Atlanta has been a tremendous offensive team this past week and really for the majority of the regular season. They are currently 2nd in the NBA in PPG (124.1), 7th in field goal percentage, 9th in three-point percentage, 12th in rebounding, and 24th in turnovers. Per Cleaning the Glass, the Hawks are 2nd in points per 100 possessions, 7th in effective field goal percentage, 3rd in offensive rebounding percentage, and 3rd in free throw rate.

Yeah, that is pretty good.

Young is now averaging 26 PPG and nearly 11 APG and looks like he has shaken off the rust that he had shooting the ball at the beginning of the year. Dejounte Murray is off to a good start this year and Bogdan Bogdanovic is making an early case for 6th man of the year.

After a rough game against the Pacers, De'Andre Hunter had a big performance against the Nets, scoring 25 points and grabbing 11 rebounds. Hunter has had trouble with consistency, cut Atlanta needs him to have a big year if they want to be a playoff threat.

I think it could be a massive game for Clint Capela and Onyeka Okongwu. Washington is last in rebounding and 30th in offensive rebounding and that could lead to huge days on the boards for the best center tandem in the NBA.

Atlanta has not had trouble scoring and Washington is not going to offer much resistance. They are 29th in PPG allowed, 30th in field goal percentage allowed, and 17th in three-point percentage allowed. Per Cleaning the Glass, Washington is 30th in points per 100 possessions allowed and 30th in effective field goal percentage allowed. The Hawks should get what they want tonight, but the one thing that could hold them back is turnovers. The Hawks have had a big problem with turnovers this season and if they commit too many, Washington could capitalize.

Washington does have a capable offense though and the Hawks have been playing atrocious defense lately. Atlanta is 27th in PPG allowed, 25th in field goal percentage allowed, and 25th in three-point percentage allowed. Per Cleaning the Glass, Atlanta is 25th in points per 100 possessions allowed, 26th in effective field goal percentage allowed, but they are 8th in TOV% caused. Young in particular has made more of an effort on the defensive end and it has shown in him being among the leaders in steals per game. Head coach Quin Snyder spoke about Young's effort on that end after the loss to the Pacers:

"I am glad you asked me that, I have been saying it all year and its whatever... there is a narrative that develops about someone. He has been good off the ball, he has been good on the ball, he has competed, I can show you a long edit of the times that he has picked up full court and someone should talk about it. It's not... when you talk about Trae tonight, you will talk about what a great offensive game that he had and he did but it is one of the things that I have told him, even early in the year when his shots were not going in, he did not stop defending and that is good to see, from all of our guys. That is the mentality that we have to have and there are some things tonight that obviously defensively that we can do better and we played against a really good offensive team."

Kyle Kuzma leads the way for the Wizards and he is having a solid season. He is averaging 23.6 PPG, 5.8 RPG, and 4.3 APG. Jordan Poole has not had a great season, but he is capable of scoring a lot of points if he gets in a rhythm.

Injury Report:

As far as injuries go, it is the usual injury report for Atlanta. Rookies Kobe Bufkin and Mouhamed Gueye are out for tonight's game. Washington played Milwaukee last night and on the second night of a back-to-back, there could be some guys added to the injury report later so be sure to keep an eye on that.

Viewing and Betting Information

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

Location: Capital One Arena, Washington D.C

Where to Watch: NBA League Pass, Bally Sports Southeast

Spread and Over/Under: The Hawks are currently favorites tonight, as they are 7.5-point favorites according to the latest odds from the SI Sportsbook and the over/under is set at 248.5.

Projected Starting Lineups

Hawks:

G- Trae Young

G- Dejounte Murray

F- De'Andre Hunter

F- Jalen Johnson

C- Clint Capela

Wizards

G- Tyus Jones

G- Jordan Poole

F- Deni Avdija

F- Kyle Kuzma

C- Daniel Gafford

Player to Watch on the Hawks- Clint Capela

Capela could have a huge night on the boards for Atlanta and the Wizards are the worst rebounding team in the NBA. I think a double-double is certainly possible for Capela and he will play a huge role in this game tonight.

Player to Watch on the Wizards- Jordan Poole

Poole catches a lot of heat and deservingly so sometimes, but he is a talented scorer and with how Atlnat has been playing defense lately, he could have a big game. His defensive shortcomings are notable, but he can score the basketball.

Prediction

Atlanta should win this game. I know their defense is not inspiring much confidence, but the Wizards are bad at rebounding and playing defense and Atlanta is a more talented team. Washington had to play the Bucks last night and Atlanta is fully rested. I like the Hawks to win and cover tonight.

Final Score: Atlanta 137, Washington 123

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