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

Atlanta will be facing a 76ers team that will be without Joel Embiid tonight

For the third time this season, the Hawks and the 76ers will face each other tonight, but there will be something different about this matchup. 

Philadelphia is going to be without Joel Embiid tonight, something that might swing the game in favor of Atlanta. The Hawks have lost their last two games, one a blowout loss to the Pacers and the other being a loss to the Magic, who were missing two starters. Trade talk is what dominates any conversation about the Hawks right now, but they have a chance to string some wins together. 

The Hawks's next four games are against a 76ers team without Embiid, a Pacers team that will be without Tyrese Haliburton, the Spurs, and the Wizards. For all of the bad that has gone on for the Hawks this season, they have a chance to get some wins on the upcoming schedule. 

Let's preview tonight's game and make a prediction. 

Game Preview

Bogdan Bogdanovic vs the 76ers / Kyle Ross-USA TODAY Sports

Philadelphia is 2-0 against the Hawks this year, but a big reason for that is they had Embiid in both of those games and the Hawks were missing Trae Young. Young is probable tonight with right shoulder soreness and assuming he plays, Atlanta is going to need Young to guide them to victory against one of the NBA's best defenses. 

Embiid is a big reason the 76ers are elite on defense, but his absence should open up things in the paint. The 76ers are 5th in PPG allowed, 10th in field goal percentage allowed, 5th in three-point attempts allowed, and 5th in three-point percentage allowed. Per Cleaning the Glass, Philadelphia is 5th in points allowed per 100 possessions and 6th in effective field goal percentage. 

Even without Embiid, this is a good defensive team that is well-coached. 76ers head coach Nick Nurse has this team playing well on that end and Atlanta is going to have a tough time. 

The Hawks have one of the best offenses in the NBA and they can attack Philadelphia. Atlanta is 3rd in PPG, 18th 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 7th in points per 100 possessions, 16th in effective field goal percentage, 10th in turnover percentage, 4th in offensive rebounding percentage, and 8th in free throw rate. 

Both of these teams are very good at getting to the free-throw line and the Hawks are a good free-throw shooting team. Surprisingly though, poor free throw shooting is one of the reasons they lost in their last game against the Magic, but Hawks head coach Quin Snyder did not think it was anything to be alarmed about. 

"We have good free throw shooters and we missed some free throws that I thought left some points on the board and the third quarter we had some challenges with our execution and not seeing the ball go in.

"Free throw shooting, I have a lot of confidence in our guys to... Clint has shot it great, Trae and DJ (Murray) are two of the best in the league and they are both very confident in those situations and sometimes you just miss some, it is what it is. You don't go up to the line... nobody is nervous at the line, those guys are confident and sometimes the ball does not always go in."

Can the Hawks beat the 76ers tonight? / Jordan Godfree-USA TODAY Sports

Young is having a fantastic season, averaging 27.8 PPG and 11.0 APG (second in the NBA). The Hawks have had a lot of things go wrong this season, but Young is having an elite season that should result in him getting an All-Star spot. His backcourt teammate Dejounte Murray is also having a good season, averaging 20.6 PPG, 5.0 APG, and 4.6 RPG while shooting 46,7% from the field and 38% from three. 

Jalen Johnson was also absent the last time the Hawks played the 76ers. Johnson has been fantastic on both ends of the floor and will likely be tasked with guarding Tobias Harris tonight. Harris becomes one of the top options for Philadelphia with Embiid out so Johnson is going to have a lot of responsibility. 

Clint Capela is questionable tonight with right Achilles soreness, which means Onyeka Okongwu would get the start in the event Capela is out and Bruno Fernando would get the backup minutes. Garrison Matthews is also out tonight and Wesley Matthews is questionable. Garrison Matthews has gotten consistent bench minutes and it will be interesting to see what Snyder rolls with tonight as far as rotations go. 

One thing that won't be in question on the bench is the play of Bogdan Bogdanovic, who has been one of the NBA's best bench players. He is averaging nearly 18 PPG and is a great source of offense off the bench. 

The 76ers also have a really good offense and they will be facing a Hawks defense that might be the worst in the NBA. Even without Embiid, the 76ers still have point guard Tyrese Maxey and Tobias Harris, who can have big games. The 76ers are 6th in PPG, 14th in field goal percentage, 22nd in three-point attempts, 17th in three-point percentage, 15th in rebounding, 3rd in free throw attempts, and 5th in turnovers. Per Cleaning the Glass, the 76ers are 5th in points per 100 possessions, 14th in effective field goal percentage, 1st in turnover percentage, 15th in offensive rebounding percentage, and 2nd in free throw rate. 

Philadelphia does not turn the ball over and they are exceptional at getting to the free-throw line, but Embiid is the guy who draws a lot of those fouls. 

Viewing and Betting Information

Tip-off time: 7:30 p.m. Eastern Time

Location: State Farm Arena, Atlanta, GA

Where to Watch: NBA League Pass, Bally Sports Southeast

Spread and Over/Under: The Hawks are favored tonight, as they are 1.5-point favorites according to the latest odds from the SI Sportsbook and the over/under is set at 245.5. 

Injury Report

Atlanta has injury report questions of their own as well.

Star point guard Trae Young is listed as probable with right shoulder soreness, Clint Capela (right Achilles soreness) and Wesley Matthews (right calf soreness) are listed as questionable, and Mouhamed Gueye (right low back stress fracture), De'Andre Hunter (right knee inflammation), Vit Krejci (left shoulder subluxation), and Garrison Matthews (left ankle sprain) are listed as out.

If the injury report broke the wrong way for the Hawks, the starting lineup would likely be Dejounte Murray, Bogdan Bogdanovic, Saddiq Bey, Jalen Johnson, and Onyeka Okongwu. Both Wesley and Garrison Matthews have been coming off of the bench for the Hawks so that would make the rotations interesting if Wesley is ruled out. It could open up minutes for AJ Griffin or someone else.

Embiid and Robert Covington are out for the 76ers tonight and De'Anthony Melton is questionable. 

Starting Lineups

Dejounte Murray vs the Magic / Kim Klement Neitzel-USA TODAY Sports

Hawks:

G- Trae Young

G- Dejounte Murray

F- Jalen Johnson

F- Saddiq Bey

C- Clint Capela

I don't know if Capela plays, but Okongwu will start if he does not. If Young were to be suddenly ruled out, Bogdanovic is likely to start.

76ers

G- Tyrese Maxey

G- De'Anthony Melton

F- Tobias Harris

F- Nic Batum

C- Paul Reed

Player to Watch on the Hawks- Jalen Johnson

Johnson is one of the most important players on the Hawks and he will have to guard Harris tonight. Johnson can be the most electric player on the court at times and his defense and rebounding are going to be needed tonight as Atlanta looks for a win. 

Player to Watch on the 76ers- Tyrese Maxey

Maxey is competing for one of the Eastern Conference guard spots on the All-Star team and he is going to be the vocal point of the offense tonight with Embiid out. Maxey has struggled sometimes when he has to be the top option (Christmas Day against Miami), but he is facing a Hawks defense that is pretty terrible. If Maxey has a big game, the 76ers are likely to win. 

Prediction

With Embiid out, I think the Hawks find a way to get a win. It will not be easy, especially if Capela is out as well, but the Hawks really need to win. As I said earlier, they have four winnable games coming up and a chance to get some momentum going. It might be their last time to do so before the trade deadline. Atlanta wins a close one and both Young and Maxey have big games. 

Final Score: Hawks 126, 76ers 121

Joel Embiid's Status Revealed For Tomorrow's Game vs the Hawks

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