Hawks vs Suns: Game Preview, Injury Report, Projected Starting Lineups
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After two days off, the Atlanta Hawks are back on the court and will be finishing their five-game West Coast with a game against the Phoenix Suns, who are coming off of a win last night vs the 76ers. Outside of a surprise win vs the Clippers on Sunday, it has been a road trip to forget for Atlanta. They lost to Portland and Utah, beat the Clippers, then were blown out by the Lakers on Monday. On paper, this is a complete mismatch, but Phoenix is on the second night of a back-to-back and there is always a chance they have players out tonight. Be sure to keep an eye on the injury report that will come out later today.
Let's take a look at how these two teams match up.
Game Preview
This is the second matchup of the year between these two teams, with the Hawks winning 129-120 back in the beginning of February. The difference between that night and tonight is the players that the Hawks have available.
Three of the Hawks's five starters from the first game are not going to be playing tonight. Trae Young, Jalen Johnson, and Saddiq Bey are all injured, with Bey out for the entire season. That puts the Hawks at a huge disadvantage against a team with Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, and Bradley Beal.
For Atlanta to have a shot, they are likely going to need to have a big game from Dejounte Murray. Murray had 40 points vs the Blazers and 33 points vs the Jazz, but he had to take plenty of shot attempts to get there. It might be that kind of night for Murray tonight vs the Suns.
Bogdan Bogdanovic had a great night vs the Clippers, but he has not played well over the past few weeks in total. With other guys out, Bogdanovic is going to need to step up tonight and have a good shooting night tonight as the Hawks's second-best option on offense.
The two starting forwards are going to be the question mark tonight for Atlanta. Vit Krejci has been starting since Bey went down with his injury and most nights he does not have to do much on the offensive end of the floor. Krejci has shown the ability to shoot the three well and he is not a bad defender either. His production is low, but he usually finds ways to contribute.
Wesley Matthews started in place of Johnson when he was out previously with his ankle injury, but he is questionable with an illness tonight. Wesley has been shooting well from three in the past few games, but if he can't go, I assume that Garrison Matthews will get the start. Garrison is one of the Hawks's best catch-and-shoot three-point shooters but has limitations on defense.
Clint Capela has a double-double in five of the last six games and the Suns are not a great defensive rebounding team. Atlanta is probably going to need both Capela and Onyeka Okongwu to have a big game on the boards to get the Hawks second-chance points tonight. Okongwu played his first game in over a month on Monday vs the Lakers and played 19 minutes. Keep an eye on his minutes tonight.
Mar 15, 2024; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Atlanta Hawks forward De'Andre Hunter (12) looks to move the ball against Utah Jazz forward Brice Sensabaugh (8) during the second quarter at Delta Center. Mandatory Credit: Rob Gray-USA TODAY Sports
De'Andre Hunter has been one of the best bench players in the NBA over the last month but is coming off of a 4-14 shooting night vs the Lakers. Hunter might be the second or at worst, the third best offensive option for Atlanta tonight and will likely spend minutes guarding Kevin Durant as well.
Coming into this game, Atlanta ranks 5th in PPG, 23rd in field goal percentage, 7th in three-point attempts, 18th in three-point percentage, 5th in free throw attempts, 1st in offensive rebounding, and 13th in turnovers. Per Cleaning the Glass, the Hawks are 9th in points per 100 possessions, 19th in effective field goal percentage, 9th in turnover percentage, 5th in offensive rebounding percentage, and 9th in free throw rate.
The Suns are not a defensive stalwart, but the question will be if the Hawks have enough offensive options to compete with the firepower that Phoenix has. Defensively, Phoenix is 16th in PPG allowed, 7th in field goal percentage allowed, and 17th in three-point percentage allowed. Per Cleaning the Glass, the Suns are 14th in points allowed per 100 possessions and 9th in effective field goal percentage allowed.
Offense is the calling card for this Suns team. Durant, Booker, and Beal can all have huge scoring nights and Grayson Allen has been one of the best shooters in the NBA this year. Atlanta is coming off of one of their worst defensive performances of the year (even for them) and the Lakers are not as good of an offensive team as Phoenix is.
The Suns come into this game 11th in PPG, 5th in field goal percentage, 26th in three-point attempts, 9th in three-point percentage, 4th in free throw attempts, 19th in offensive rebounding, and 25th in turnovers. Per Cleaning the Glass, the Suns are 8th in points per 100 possessions, 8th in effective field goal percentage, 24th in turnover percentage, 7th in offensive rebounding percentage, and 1st in free throw rate.
The Hawks have been one of the worst defenses in the NBA this year and that remains true. Atlanta is 29th in PPG allowed, 28th in field goal percentage allowed, and 28th in three-point percentage allowed. Per Cleaning the Glass, the Hawks are 27th in points allowed per 100 possessions and 20th in effective field goal percentage allowed.
Injury Report
Wesley Matthews (illness) is questionable while Jalen Johnson (right ankle injury), Saddiq Bey (left knee torn ACL), Kobe Bufkin (left big toe sprain), AJ Griffin (right ankle sprain), Mouhamed Gueye (right UCL sprain), and Trae Young (left fifth finger torn ligament) are all out.
The Suns are on a back-to-back so keep an eye out for their injury report to come out this afternoon.
Viewing and Betting Information
Tip-off time: 10:30 p.m. Eastern Time
Location: Footprint Center, Phoenix, AZ
Where to Watch: NBA League Pass, Bally Sports Southeast, NBA TV
Spread and Over/Under: The Hawks will be underdogs on the road tonight, as they are currently 9.5 point underdogs according to the latest odds from the SI Sportsbook and the over/under is set at 226.5.
Projected Starting Lineups
Hawks:
G- Bogdan Bogdanovic
G- Dejounte Murray
F- Vit Krejci
F- Wesley Matthews
C- Clint Capela
If Wesley Matthews does not play, I would expect Garrison Matthews to start.
Suns:
G- Devin Booker
G- Bradley Beal
F- Kevin Durant
F- Grayson Allen
C-Jusuf Nurkic
On the second night of a back-to-back, it is possible that the Suns could rest players tonight. If they don't, this will be their lineup.
