Hawks vs 76ers: Game Preview, Injury Report, Projected Starting Lineups For Tonight's Preseason Matchup

What are the key things to be looking out for tonight when the Hawks face the 76ers?

Oct 8, 2024; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Hawks forward Jalen Johnson (1) brings the ball up the court against the Indiana Pacers during the first half at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images / Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

After having nearly a week off, the Atlanta Hawks are back in action tonight when they face the Philadelphia 76ers. It will be the second preseason game of the year for the Hawks and for a preseason game, it carries some anticipation mostly in part to how successful the Hawks first preseason game went.

Now, previewing preseason games can be difficult. Because there are no injury or availability reports required from teams in the preseason, you are flying blind into the game a little bit. We already know that the 76ers are holding out Joel Embiid, but who else could be missing tonight?

Game Preview

Before we start talking players, it is possible that anyone could sit out tonight for rest. Hawks head coach Quin Snyder held out Bogdan Bogdanovic in the first game and Onyeka Okongwu did not play. Will Bogdanovic make his preseason debut or does he continue to get rest tonight after having a long summer in the Olympics? Atlanta plays three games in four days this week so any number of players could miss tonight for rest.

The same goes with the 76ers. This is their third preseason game against an NBA team and in their first game, they started Tyrese Maxey, Paul George, Kelly Oubre Jr, Caleb Martin, and Andre Drummond. In their second game vs the Celtics, none of those players played.

The last game, Snyder opted to start Trae Young, Dyson Daniels, De'Andre Hunter, Jalen Johnson, and Clint Capela.

Young's game kind of went under the radar because of other performances, but he finished with 17 points and six assists on 5-10 shooting, including 3-5 from three. He looked like his usual self and that is one of the best offensive players in the NBA.

Daniels played well on both ends of the floor and was a huge bright spot. He guarded Tyrese Haliburton in the early portions of the game and he finished with 11 points on 5-8 shooting. I think Daniels is going to get a starting spot this year, but we will see.

Hunter was one of the few players who did not play well for Atlanta in their first game. He finished with four points on 2-10 shooting and struggled to get anything going. If he plays, I want to see if he can bounce back and play well.

Jalen Johnson looked excellent and like he was ready to be the No. 2 option on the team. He displayed excellent chemistry with Young and he looked in control the entire time he played. Johnson finished with 19 points and 10 rebounds in only 22 minutes. After taking a massive leap last year, another one could be in store for Johnson.

Like Young, Capela looked like the player he usually is. In 19 minutes, Capela had 11 points and nine rebounds.

The bench was impressive for the Hawks and any of these guys could see a start if any of the above guys sit out.

Zaccharie Risacher scored 18 points on 7-9 shooting and looked very comfortable for a rookie playing in his first game. He displayed his length and versatility last night and it was pretty close to a perfect debut for Risacher. Will he play like this every night? Of course not, but the fact he showed this kind of upside right away has to be encouraging.

Kobe Bufkin, Vit Krejci, and Larry Nance are the other guys on the bench who made an impact last week. Nance is a candidate to rest for preseason game because he is a veteran, but I think Bufkin and Krejci are likely to play and maybe even start.

David Roddy got 16 minutes in last week's game, but guys like Garrison Matthews, Keaton Wallace, Seth Lundy, Dominick Barlow, and Mouhamed Gueye did not play as much, but I think they are going to see plenty of minutes at some point this week and that could be tonight.

If the 76ers elect to sit their starters tonight, their starting lineup in the last game were Ricky Council IV, Jared McCain, Jeff Dowtin Jr, KJ Martin, and Guerschon Yabusele.

Here is how you can watch tonight's game:

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

Location: State Farm Arena, Atlanta, GA

Where to Watch: Bally Sports Southeast and NBA TV

Spread and Over/Under: The Hawks will be underdogs at hometonight, as they are currently 1.0 point underdogs according to the latest odds from the Fanduel Sportsbook and the over/under is set at 230.5.

Projected Starting Lineups (Note: It is the preseason and the starting lineup could be anything. I would not be surprised if some guys sit for rest):

Hawks:

G- Trae Young

G-Dyson Daniels

F- De'Andre Hunter

F- Jalen Johnson

C- Clint Capela

76ers:

G-Tyrese Maxey

G- Kelly Oubre Jr

F- Paul George

F- Caleb Martin

C-Andre Drummond