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

The Hawks will close out the 2023 year with their third matchup of the season against the Washington Wizards. Atlanta is 2-0 this season against the Wizards and neither game has been that close. Both teams have poor defenses, but the Hawks have a far more efficient offense than the Wizards do.

There are a few injury concerns coming into this game. Hawks star point guard Trae Young is probable today, while Wizards point guard Tyus Jones is questionable. Hawks backup center Onyeka Okongwu is out today with an illness.

Atlanta enters the game on a four-game losing streak and the offense in the second half of this streak has been non-existent. They will need to solve that today to avoid an embarrassing loss to one of the NBA's worst teams.

So who wins this game this afternoon? Let's break it down and preview the game.

Game Preview

Atlanta has one of the NBA's best offenses statistically, but they have made a habit of disappearing in the second half of games.

The Hawks have a number of issues, but during this four-game losing streak, it has been their offense in the second half that has been the biggest. Last night, Hawks head coach Quin Snyder was asked what the Hawks need to do to fix them:

"I thought we had some really good looks in the fourth quarter and in the third quarter, I mentioned that when they made the run on us, it was open looks and missed shots mixed with turnovers. Late, again, you don't know where the shots are going to come and at what time, but open threes are good, getting to the rim is good, and playing off of each other, but whatever it is that we are doing, getting us organized, but then having a mentality is the biggest thing for us and that is our execution.

It is not one thing, it's collective. It is not one thing or one guy, it is not one thing, we just have to grind through it."

Hawks center Clint Capela was asked what the team can do to get out of the rut it has been in and start winning games and he gave a pretty honest answer:

"I mean, it just gets harder and harder to take because it sucks to lose like that. I mean especially tonight because I really do feel like we were better and I almost felt that we just... we almost helped them feel more confident and yeah we just have to talk to each other, scream at each other, I don't know, but we gotta do something."

Atlanta comes into today's game 3rd in PPG, 19th in field goal percentage, 5th in three-point attempts, 13th in three-point field goal percentage, 3rd in offensive rebounding, and 16th in turnovers. Per Cleaning the Glass, Atlanta is 5th in points per 100 possessions, 16th in effective field goal percentage, 14th in turnover percentage, 3rd in offensive rebounding percentage, and 12th in free throw rate.

The Hawks were outscored 64-39 in the second half vs the Kings Friday night and it turned a big halftime lead into a Kings win. Dejounte Murray was 1-10 for two points in the second half, Bogdan Bogdanovic was 1-8 for three points, and the Hawks shot 28.9% from the field and 21.7% from three. They did not score in the final four and a half minutes of the game and let the Kings get away with a win in Atlanta.

The Hawks have the worst clutch offense in the NBA and it showed again last night. They have a bad record in close games and a lot of it comes down to execution on offense.

Murray and Bogadnovic are two of the Hawks's most important players and they have to shoot better in the second half of games.

The Wizards are one of the worst rebounding teams in the NBA, which could mean huge games for Jalen Johnson and Clint Capela.

With Onyeka Okongwu out for this game, it will be interesting to see how Quin Snyder handles the backup center spot. Bruno Fernando could get some minutes or he could put Johnson at the five for today's game.

Washington is 30th in the NBA in PPG allowed, 28th in FG% allowed, and 19th in three-point percentage allowed, Per Cleaning the Glass, the Wizards are 30th in points allowed per 100 possessions and 29th in effective field goal percentage allowed. The Hawks have had their way on offense when they have played the Wizards and I don't suspect that is going to change today.

Washington has a solid offense and they are also going to be facing one of the worst defenses in the NBA.

Washington is 11th in the NBA in PPG, 8th in field goal percentage, 13th in three-point attempts, 23rd in three-point percentage, 24th in free throw attempts, 29th in offensive rebounding, and 21st in turnovers. Per Cleaning the Glass, Washington is 24th in points per 100 possessions, 11th in effective field goal percentage, 10th in turnover percentage, 30th in offensive rebounding percentage, and 25th in free throw rate.

Kyle Kuzma is the biggest offensive threat for the Wizards, but don't sleep on Deni Avdija. He has been a solid player this season, despite the Wizard's terrible record. Jordan Poole can score, but is also inefficient, shooting only 31.8% from three this season.

Atlanta is 27th in PPG allowed, 29th in field goal percentage allowed, 15th in three-point attempts allowed, and 26th in three-point percentage allowed. Per Cleaning the Glass, Atlanta is 26th in points allowed per 100 possessions and 28th in effective field goal percentage allowed.

As bad as the Hawks are on defense, they have not had a lot of trouble against the Wizards this year.

Injury Report

After releasing their initial injury report, Atlanta added Trae Young to the report. He is being listed as probable with a right knee contusion.

Onyeka Okongwu (illness) is out as is Mouhamed Gueye (right low back stress fracture), Seth Lundy (Left Ankle Sprain), and De'Andre Hunter (right knee inflammation) for the Hawks.

Tyus Jones is questionable for the Wizards and Danilo Gallinari is out.

Viewing and Betting Information

Tip-off time: 3:00 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 today, as they are 7.5-point favorites according to the latest odds from the SI Sportsbook and the over/under is set at 252.5.

Projected Starting Lineups

Hawks:

G- Trae Young

G- Dejounte Murray

F- Saddiq Bey

F- Jalen Johnson

C- Clint Capela

Wizards

G- Tyus Jones

G- Jordan Poole

F- Deni Avdija

F- Kyle Kuzma

C- Daniel Gafford

Watch out for the status of both Young and Jones in this game.

Player to Watch on the Hawks- Jalen Johnson

Johnson is likely going to be tasked with guarding Kuzma with Hunter out and because the Wizards are so bad on the glass, he could have another big day rebounding. Johnson set a new career high in rebounds and it is possible he could set a new personal best.

Player to watch on the Wizards- Deni Avdija

The Hawks are not a big team and that can allow opposing big men to have games. Avdija has a good all-around game and I could see him having a double-double today.

Prediction

As long as Young plays today, I like the Hawks to win this game. They match up well with the Wizards and have beaten them soundly in the two previous meetings. The vibes are not great around the Hawks right now, but they close out the 2023 calendar year with a win over one of the NBA's worst teams.

Final Score: Hawks 134, Wizards 121

Quin Snyder and Clint Capela Discuss What Hawks Need to Change to End Losing Streak

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