Hawks vs 76ers: Game Preview, Injury Report, Projected Starting Lineups

Atlanta travels to Philadelphia tonight and might be without Trae Young

The Hawks and the 76ers will see each other for the second time this season tonight in Philadelphia. When the two teams met earlier in the year in Atlanta, Joel Embiid had a near triple-double and the 76ers won in Atlanta. Philadelphia remains near the top of the Eastern Conference while the Hawks are fighting to stay in the top ten and in the play-in tournament. 

Since losing Jalen Johnson to injury, Atlanta has lost four of the past five games and is struggling to find any consistency. The big question tonight is going to be whether Trae Young plays tonight or not. He was listed as questionable with an illness on the injury report yesterday and his status is uncertain for tonight. 

So how do these teams match up and who will win tonight? Let's break it down. 

Game Preview

Joel Embiid is leading the NBA in PPG / Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

This season, the Hawks's problems have been on the defensive end of the court. The offense has remained among the NBA's best, but that was not the case on Wednesday against the Nets. Atlanta limited Brooklyn to 114 points, but could not get the clutch stop late. Hawks head coach Quin Snyder liked what he saw from the defense after the game: 

"We got back better, we communicated with pick and roll better, we were not late on switches, our shifts were better and I thought we did a much better job of staying in front of the ball. A lot of little things, you're always going to have some plays where you don't execute the way you want to, but I think a percentage of the time we did. We gave them a bunch of three-point shots at the beginning and then we did a really good job. They shoot a lot of three's obviously and we wanted to limit their attempts and I thought we did after we got adjusted. Our execution was better throughout the course of the game."

Atlanta is going to need a similar defensive effort tonight against the 76ers. 

Philadelphia comes into this game 4th in the NBA in PPG, 9th in field goal percentage, 9th in three-point percentage, 6th in offensive rebounding, and 10th in turnovers. 76ers center Joel Embiid is leading the NBA in PPG with 33.1 and is looking to try and win another MVP. 

Per Cleaning the Glass, Philadelphia is 2nd in points per 100 possessions, 11th in effective field goal percentage, 9th in turnover percentage, 5th in offensive rebounding percentage, and 2nd in free throw rate. Tyrese Maxey is averaging nearly 27 PPG and has been the perfect player beside Embiid. Tobias Harris is having a good season and the role players they acquired from the Clippers have fit in well. 

Defensively, it has not been pretty for the Hawks, but they did have their best game of the season on Wednesday and they hope they figured some things out. The problem is that Philadelphia is a much different team to guard than Brooklyn. 

Atlanta is 27th in PPG allowed, 28th in field goal percentage allowed, and 24th in three-point percentage allowed. Per Cleaning the Glass, Atlanta is 25th in points allowed per 100 possessions and 28th in effective field goal percentage. 

Trae Young vs the Nets / Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

The best way for the Hawks to try and win this game, with or without Young, might be in a shootout. 

Philadelphia is an elite offense, but the Hawks are just as good. Atlanta is 2nd in the NBA in PPG, 16th in field goal percentage, 10th in three-point percentage, 3rd in offensive rebounding, and 20th in turnovers. Per Cleaning the Glass, the Hawks are 5th in points per 100 possessions, 13th in effective field goal percentage, 13th in turnover percentage, 4th in offensive rebounding percentage, and 5th in free throw rate. These are two of the best teams in the NBA in getting to the free-throw line and that was a big key in the last matchup. 

The 76ers have been elite on the defensive end of the floor in past years, but that is not the case this year. Philadelphia is 17th in PPG allowed, 17th in field goal percentage allowed, and 13th in three-point percentage allowed. Per Cleaning the Glass, Philadelphia is 16th in points allowed per 100 possessions and 17th in effective field goal percentage allowed. Embidd is still an elite defensive player, but the 76ers don't have anyone else of that caliber on the team. 

If Young does not get the start, Bogdan Bogdanovic is likely to start in his place. A lot of the offensive creation will fall on the shoulders of Dejounte Murray in that case, but he has led the team to a win over the Pistons this season when Young was out. 

I will be interested to see the rest of the rotation if Young is out. Trent Forrest could get some time if so and AJ Griffin could find his way on the floor. The Hawks did not get enough bench production in their last game against the Nets and they need to find a way to, especially if Bogdanovic is starting. 

Viewing and Betting Information

Tip-off time: 7:00 p.m. Eastern Time

Location: Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia, PA

Where to Watch: NBA League Pass, Bally Sports Southeast

Spread and Over/Under: The Hawks are big underdogs tonight, as they are 7.5 point underdogs according to the latest odds from the SI Sportsbook and the over/under is set at 241.5. 

Injury Report

For the Hawks, the name to watch on the injury report tonight is of course, Young. He is being listed as questionable and his status will be updated at some point today. Kobe Bufkin, Mouhamed Gueye, and Jalen Johnson remain out. 

The 76ers injury report is clean. 

Starting Lineups

Bogdan Bogdanovic will likely start if Young can't play tonight / Jordan Godfree-USA TODAY Sports

Hawks:

G- Trae Young

G- Dejounte Murray

F- De'Andre Hunter

F- Saddiq Bey

C- Clint Capela

76ers

G- Tyrese Maxey

G- De'Anthony Melton

F- Tobias Harris

F- Nic Batum

C- Joel Embiid

Again, if Young plays, this is likely the starting lineup and if he does not, look for Bogdanovic to get the start. 

Player to Watch on the Hawks- Dejounte Murray

Murray is more than capable of leading an offense and team if Young is out and that is the reason he was traded for. Murray is going to need to be an offensive creator and playmaker for this team if Young is out and even if he does not, I think Murray needs to have a big game. 

Player to Watch on the 76ers- Tobias Harris

Harris had 29 points and 10 rebounds in the last game between these two teams and had a huge 2nd half. Embiid is going to get his, but Atlanta has to find ways to limit the supporting cast tonight. 

Prediction

Whether Young plays or not, the 76ers are a tough team to beat in Philly. I think the 76ers are a tough matchup for the Hawks and Embiid, Maxey, and Harris will notch another win against the Hawks tonight. 

Final Score: 76ers 125, Hawks 114

Trae Young on the Injury Report For Tomorrow's Game vs the 76ers

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