Memphis Grizzlies at Atlanta Hawks Preview

Preview

Scouting Report

The last 36 hours in Atlanta have been rough. First, the Hawks dropped a winnable game in Charlotte. Then, late last night, we found out that John Collins' foot injury was worse than we expected. See Shams Charania's tweet below for the details.

Hawks forward John Collins has a plantar fascia tear in his right foot as well as damage to his right ring finger, sources tell me and @ChrisKirschner. Collins has been playing through pain for past several weeks, but will now be sidelined indefinitely.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) March 18, 2022

Collins' absence thrusts Danilo Gallinari into the starting power forward role, and the rest of the rotation is to be determined. I can't lie; this is horrible news for the Hawks and their fanbase. The biggest reason is that we hate it for 'John the Baptist.' And to a lesser extent, it makes another postseason push far less likely.

As Hawks fans lick their wounds, the basked universe will be treated to a contest between the two best young point guards in the NBA - Trae Young vs. Ja Morant. While I'm unwilling to assign avatars to these two players (Magic vs. Bird) like so many people want to do, I can safely say they are beyond exceptional.

The Hawks and Grizzlies have only faced once this season, way back in November, and the Hawks won 132-100. Young scored 31 points, and Morant scored just 2 points after exiting the game early with a knee injury.

Luckily, Morant bounced back and has had a fantastic season. The high-flying point guard averages 27.5 points, 6.7 assists, and 5.8 rebounds per game. More impressively, he's led the Grizzlies to second in the Western Conference.

In many ways, the Grizzlies are having the season that the Hawks had expected. Their point guard, Trae Young, is out-performing Morant. 'Ice Trae' averages 28 points and 9.5 assists per game. But as we've seen before, like the Hornets game on Tuesday night, when Young has an off-night, the role players can't do enough to win the game.

The Hawks playoff chances have almost been cut in half in less than two weeks. They are destined for the dreaded Play-In tournament. However, a win tonight would go a long way towards improving their seeding in the Eastern Conference.

Injury Report

The Grizzlies are enjoying good health. Only Ja Morant (Back Soreness) is questionable. Meanwhile, the Hawks injury report lists Danilo Gallinari (right biceps contusion) as questionable. Trae Young (left quad contusion) is questionable. John Collins (right ring finger sprain/right foot strain) is out.

The American Red Cross’s blood supply remains in a vulnerable state which is why tomorrow we are teaming up with our partners @Delta for a blood drive at @StateFarmArena!

All presenting donors will receive a voucher worth two tickets to an upcoming game!

Registration details ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/QK3LLaf717
— Atlanta Hawks (@ATLHawks) March 17, 2022

Odds

SI Sportsbook lists the Grizzlies as 5.5-point favorites and the over/under is set at 237.5 points. It's hard to disagree with that spread given the vast differences between these two teams. But then again, the Hawks usually play to the level of their competition.

Uniforms

Thanks to NBA LockerVision, we know what each team will be wearing so you can plan your gear accordingly. The Hawks will wear their Icon Edition (red) uniforms, while the Grizzlies wear their Association Edition (white) uniforms.

Television, Stream, Radio

Hawks Broadcast: Bally Sports South

Grizzlies Broadcast: Bally Sports Southeast

Live Stream: Click here for fuboTV free trial!

Hawks Listen: 92.9 FM The Game

Grizzlies Listen: 92.9 FM ESPN Radio

Good morning all! The @ATLHawks are back @StateFarmArena tonight, hosting the @memgrizz! Coverage begins at 7e/6c @HawksOnBally with @DWilkins21 @laurenjbara @TreavorScales @moniquebillings
— Bob Rathbun (@BobRathbunTV) March 18, 2022

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