Atlanta Hawks Announce Starting Lineup for Tonight's Game vs The Raptors

Atlanta is looking to snap its four-game losing streak tonight when they face the Raptors
Atlanta Hawks Announce Starting Lineup for Tonight's Game vs The Raptors
Atlanta Hawks Announce Starting Lineup for Tonight's Game vs The Raptors /
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The Hawks are getting ready to face the Toronto Raptors and Atlanta is hoping to snap its four-game losing streak. Both teams saw starters go down before the game started, with RJ Barrett and Dejounte Murray being ruled out of today's game. That created some uncertainty with who would be in the starting lineup for both teams and the lineups were just revealed. 

Trae Young, Bogdan Bogdanovic, Saddiq Bey, Jalen Johnson, and Clint Capela will be the first five on the floor for the Hawks. 

Dennis Schroder, Gary Trent Jr, Scottie Barnes, Bruce Brown, and Thad Young are the starters for Toronto. 

The Hawks come into the game 5th in PPG, 22nd in field goal percentage, 6th in three-point attempts, 18th in three-point percentage, 6th in free-throw attempts, 8th in rebounding, and 16th in turnovers. Per Cleaning the Glass, Atlanta is 12th in points per 100 possessions, 20th in effective field goal percentage, 14th in turnover percentage, 4th in offensive rebounding percentage, and 8th in free throw rate. The Hawks take a lot of three-point shots, rebound the ball well, and get to the free-throw line.

Trae Young has had one of the best seasons of his career so far and while he did not get a starter's spot in the All-Star game, he was deserving. He is averaging 27.0 PPG and 10.8 APG.

Dejounte Murray, Jalen Johnson, and Bogdan Bogdanovic are the guys that have to produce for the Hawks. Johnson had a strong first half against the Mavericks but faded in the second half. He has been one of the most improved players in the NBA this season and will likely get the assignment to guard Scottie Barnes.

Saddiq Bey vs the Cavs
Saddiq Bey vs the Cavs / Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

The Raptors offense is very average. They are 18th in PPG, 10th in field goal percentage, 20th in three-point attempts, 24th in three-point percentage, 18th in free throw attempts, 12th in rebounding, and 12th in turnovers. Per Cleaning the Glass, the Raptors are 20th in points per 100 possessions, 16th in effective field goal percentage, 11th in turnover percentage, 17th in offensive rebounding percentage, and 24th in free throw rate.

The Raptor's offense might not be one of the league's best, but they are going against the worst defense in the NBA. The Hawks are 29th in PPG allowed, 29th in field goal percentage allowed, 18th in three-point attempts allowed, and 27th in three-point percentage allowed. Per Cleaning the Glass, Atlanta is 26th in points allowed per 100 possessions and 29th in effective field goal rate allowed. The effort level on defense seems to have gone down in the past couple of weeks and Toronto has a chance to win tonight because of it.

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Jackson Caudell
JACKSON CAUDELL

Jackson Caudell has been covering Georgia Tech Athletics For On SI since March 2022 and the Atlanta Hawks for On SI since October 2023. Jackson is also the co-host of the Bleav in Georgia Tech podcast and he loves to bring thoughtful analysis and comprehensive coverage to everything that he does. Find him on X @jacksoncaudell