Washington Wizards-Atlanta Hawks NBA Cup Preview: Injuries, Odds, How to Watch & Starters

The early part of the season hasn't been especially smooth for the Atlanta Hawks, but there's no question that their last win against the Washington Wizards was encouraging. The Wizards have been playing some great basketball, especially on defense, through the early slate. Atlanta scrambled that defense to the tune of 39% from deep, 34 assists, and 120 points.

The most impressive part of their win, to me, is how each player chipped in to make it happen. They don't beat Washington without the combined 32 rebounds of Onyeka Okongwu and Dyson Daniels, Kingston Flemings stepping up in his first start with 14 points, 52 points off the bench, and, surprisingly, a massive Corey Kispert moment where he drew a four-point play to punctuate an Atlanta lead they never relinquished.

The Hawks have a tough task to beat the same team in back-to-back games, but their performance tonight should make it clear that they're the type of team who can find ways of making everyone a contributor. They're going to have to do exactly that in order to spoil Trae Young's return to Atlanta.

Game Preview

A Hero's Homecoming

Hawks, Atlanta Hawks, Young, Trae Young, Wizards, Washington Wizards — Nov 4, 2026; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Washington Wizards guard Trae Young (3) shoots as Atlanta Hawks guard Luguentz Dort (0) defends in the second half at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Speaking of that homecoming, Trae Young is obviously one of the best players to ever wear a Hawks uniform. He gave the franchise one of the most unlikely deep playoff runs in NBA history, turned himself into one of the best passers in the league, and brought plenty of fun moments to a Hawks fanbase in need of them.

Tonight, he'll be on the visitors' bench. Young's leading the league in assists with 9.5 assists per game and he has the second-lowest TOV% of his career. The scoring hasn't been there, but there is a legitimate value he provides through his passing. However, that doesn't mean Atlanta was wrong to move on. Young's three-point shooting has fallen off a cliff - he's shooting a career-low 27.8% from deep while posting the highest three-point rate of his career.

The Hawks did an excellent job of stymying him in their last game - Young scored 18 points on 12 shots, but had four turnovers and a team-worst -19 due to his inability on defense. He still brings value with his passing, but Atlanta shouldn't feel bad about their decision to move on, even if he has a big night.

Dyson Dominance

Hawks, Atlanta Hawks, Dyson Daniels, Daniels, Wizards, Washington Wizards — Nov 4, 2026; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Washington Wizards forward AJ Dybantsa (4) drives to the basket as Atlanta Hawks guard Dyson Daniels (5) defends in the first half at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Dyson Daniels' shooting hasn't come around in the way that I expected, but the all-around impact has been extraordinarily useful for Atlanta. Despite shooting 7.1% from three and being guarded as a non-shooter, he's made a difference in almost every other part of the game. He's tied his career high in STL%, currently has a ridiculous OREB% of 10.7%, cut out the turnovers in his game (career-low TOV% of 9.7%), and has the highest TREB% of 12%.

His perimeter defense has been excellent, and he's got a legitimate case for being the most impactful non-big defender in the NBA. The Hawks are a whopping 8.9 points worse on defense when he's not on the floor. The key to keeping him there isn't necessarily going to be his individual shooting from deep. Like it or not, I believe that ship has largely sailed, barring a miraculous turnaround. However, it won't matter on most nights if NAW can sustain his incredible three-point volume and Atlanta's bench crew can continue to provide respectable spacing.

Both factors are going to be extra-critical against Washington, especially the offensive rebounds that Dyson gets. The Wizards are one of the worst offensive rebounding teams in the league this season and the Hawks exploited that weakness in the last game with a 19-9 edge, They should be able to sustain that tonight.

Absence of AD

Hawks, Atlanta Hawks, NBA, Davis, Anthony Davis, Wizards, Washington Wizards — Nov 4, 2026; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Washington Wizards forward Anthony Davis (23) shoots as Atlanta Hawks guard Kingston Flemings (4) and Hawks forward Onyeka Okongwu (17) defend in the second half at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Playing the same team in consecutive games is always a challenge, but Atlanta's task might be significantly easier if Anthony Davis sits. The Wizards big man had 26 points, 10 rebounds and three blocks alone - it'll be a big loss for them if Davis can't go due to his ankle injury.

The biggest aspect of the game it changes is the paint. Despite a pretty strong game from Okongwu, the Hawks largely did not have access to the paint against the Wizards and got out-scored 62-50 in that area. The Davis-Sarr combo isn't very good on offense, but they've posted a very respectable 109.8 defensive rating together.

Even with some offensive struggles to be worked out with him and Sarr, Davis is still a critical part of the Wizards' offense when it comes to his paint scoring. Washington is 3rd in points in the paint among all teams and Davis averages the sixth-most points in the paint (13.8 points) among all players. His absence leaves Washington without one of their most critical fulcrums on offense.

Injury Report

Mo Gueye, Keshon Gilbert, Asa Newell, Jock Landale, and Henri Veesaar are all out for Atlanta while Jalen Johnson is questionable. For Washington, Jamir Watkins, Justin Champagnie, Tristan Vukcevic and Reece Beekman are out while Anthony Davis is questionable.

Betting Lines (via FanDuel Sportsbook)

Spread: Wizards +7.5 (-110), Hawks -7.5 (-110)

Moneyline: Wizards +220, Hawks -270

Total points scored: 228.5 (over -110, under -110)

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.
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Projected Starters

Hawks

G - Kingston Flemings

G - Nickeil Alexander-Walker

G/F - Dyson Daniels

F - Jalen Johnson

C - Onyeka Okongwu

Wizards

G - Trae Young

G - Kyshawn George

F - AJ Dybantsa

F - Anthony Davis

C - Alex Sarr

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