Hawks vs Clippers: Game Preview, Injury Report, Betting Odds, Projected Starting Lineups For Tonight's Game

The Hawks will look to make it five straight against a Clippers team that's fighting for a playoff spot in the Western Conference.

Jan 4, 2025; Inglewood, California, USA; Atlanta Hawks guard Dyson Daniels (5) shoots the ball between Los Angeles Clippers center Ivica Zubac (40) and guard Terance Mann (14) during the second half at Intuit Dome. Mandatory Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images / Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images

After rattling off four straight wins, the Atlanta Hawks are looking for a fifth when they return to action tonight against the Los Angeles Clippers. They played a sloppy game against the Hornets yesterday, but ultimately tightened up to secure a 123-110 win. Specifically, Trae Young scored 35 points on a perfect 21-21 from the free throw line and Atlanta's bench picked up the starters. The bench scored 57 points compared to just 18 points from the Hornets bench. Caris LeVert scored 15 points to lead the way for the bench unit and of the five players off the bench, only one (Dominick Barlow, who had nine points) failed to score in double-digits. On defense, Atlanta tormented Charlotte's shaky offense by forcing 21 turnovers.

Even so, things will need to be sharper against the Clippers. They've won four of their last five and are coming off a 119-104 victory over the Heat. Los Angeles is currently the eighth seed in the Western Conference, but they blew the Hawks off the court in a 131-105 beatdown during their last matchup. It was one of Atlanta's weakest performances of the year - eight Clippers scored in double digits that game and the Hawks shot 43.2% from the field as a team.

This is a game full of familiar faces on both sides. For Atlanta, it will be Terance Mann's first game against his old team after being traded from LA in exchange for Bogdan Bogdanovic. Bogdanovic's return to Atlanta should not be undersold - he is easily one of the best rotation players the Hawks have had in recent memory. Both have made an impact in their new destinations and it will be interesting to see how they perform against teams that they know very well.

Game Preview

Coming into tonight's game, the Hawks are 5th in the NBA in PPG, 14th in FG%, 15th in 3PA, 19th in 3P%, 2nd in FTA, 26th in turnovers, and 12th in rebounding. Per Cleaning the Glass, Atlanta is 18th in points per 100 possessions, 18th in effective field goal percentage, 21st in turnover percentage, 12th in offensive rebounding percentage, and 5th in free throw rate.

Currently, the Hawks rank 27th in PPG allowed, 28th in field goal percentage allowed, 17th in three-point attempts allowed, and 28th in three-point percentage allowed. Per Cleaning the Glass, Atlanta is 17th in points allowed per 100 possessions and 28th in effective field goal percentage allowed.

The Clippers' offense mostly does enough to support their defense, but lacks the elite ceiling of other Western Conference teams. They are 21st in the NBA in PPG, 13th in FG%, 28th in 3PA, 16th in 3P% and 27th in FTA, 22nd in turnovers, and 20th in rebounding. Per Cleaning the Glass, Los Angeles is 20th in points per 100 possessions, 15th in effective field goal percentage, 24th in turnover percentage, 20th in offensive rebounding percentage, and 11th in free throw rate.

The hallmark of this Clippers team has been its defense and the stats bear that out. They rank 5th in PPG allowed, 10th in field goal percentage allowed, 14th in three-point attempts allowed, and 10th in three-point percentage allowed. Per Cleaning the Glass, the Clippers are 4th in points allowed per 100 possessions and 10th in effective field goal percentage allowed.

Throughout this win streak, Trae Young has been excellent for the Hawks. He's scored 35, 36 and 22 points while eclipsing double digit assists in two of his last three. The efficiency hasn't been incredible and he has struggled with turnovers (12 turnovers in his last two outings), but he is doing everything he can for the Hawks offense as they attempt to secure a playoff spot. Kris Dunn is a very good perimeter defender and he held Young to 4/14 shooting during their last matchup. It's going to be difficult to stave off Dunn, but Young will need to find a way to get enough shots to fall to keep Atlanta in this game.

Dyson Daniels is coming off one of his better defensive performances of the year - a four steal, two block effort versus the Hornets. The DPOY contender has kept up his strong play on the perimeter and his offense has not lost a step as of late. In his last 10 games, he's shooting a mind-blowing TS% of 60.2 while hitting on 61.1% of his three-pointers. He's not taking a lot of them, but he capitalizes on the ones that he puts up and it's been incredibly helpful for the Hawks' offense. The Clippers are pretty stingy on the perimeter, so every made three from Daniels is going to be big for the Hawks' chances in this matchup. On defense, he'll have the unenviable responsibility of slowing down James Harden. Harden isn't quite the MVP he once was, but his 50-point explosion against the Pistons shows that he's still a lethal scorer. Harden had 15 assists to four turnovers in his last apperance versus the Hawks, so Daniels will be a big part of making sure that Harden can't take over the game with his passing.

Terance Mann isn't the most consistent rotation player, but his activity and hustle show up on both ends of the court. He had 10 points against Charlotte, but he was instrumental in the Hawks' win over the 76ers in the previous game and scored 19 points on 9-13 shooting. He has made his presence felt in the Hawks' second unit through his 14 games and I expect he'll be trying to do more of the same against his old team. He'll be a part of slowing down Harden and possibly Norman Powell, who's had an excellent season for the Clippers. Powell is averaging 23.8 points on 49.4/42.4/82.1 shooting splits and torched Atlanta from deep during their last matchup, going 4 of 10 from deep. However, he has not been officially announced as being available for the Clippers due to a hamstring issue.

Onyeka Okongwu has a tough matchup tonight versus Ivica Zubac, who's feasted off of running pick-and-roll actions with Harden. Zubac is averaging a career-high 16.2 points and 12.5 rebounds while shooting 62.2% from the field. Fortunately, Okongwu has been much better against true seven-footers like Zubac this season. He did well against Myles Turner, posting double-doubles in both of Atlanta's games against the Pacers.

Kawhi Leonard is always a force to be reckoned with. He hit the game-winning shot for LA against the Sacramento Kings and he draws defensive attention even if he is dealing with a knee injury at the moment. To slow down Leonard, Atlanta will likely use some combination of Mo Gueye and Georges Niang. Whether that is successful remains to be seen.

It should be noted that Bogdan Bogdanovic has been rounding into form as a Clipper. He's improved his shooting from the 30.1% three-point mark he had with the Hawks up to 34.9% on 5.9 attempts a game. Bogdanovic is coming off a 30 point, 10 rebound outing against the Heat and there will be some motivation for him to repeat that effort against the Hawks. It'll be up to a questionable Hawks defense to keep him in check.

Injury Report

Trae Young (right Achilles tendinitis) is probable while Clint Capela (family reasons) is questionable.

For Los Angeles, Ben Simmons is questionable with left knee injury management while Norman Powell is out with a right hamstring strain.

Odds

According to Fanduel Sportsbook, the Clippers are 4.5 point favorites against the Hawks tonight and the total is set at 232.5.

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem and wants help, call 1-800-GAMBLER.

Projected starting lineups

Hawks:

G- Trae Young

G - Dyson Daniels

F - Zaccharie Risacher

F - Mouhamed Gueye

C - Onyeka Okongwu

Clippers:

G - James Harden

G - Kris Dunn

F - Kawhi Leonard

F - Nicolas Batum

C- Ivica Zubac

Additional Links

2025 NBA Mock Draft: Hawks Take Former Five Star Recruit and High Upside Center In Latest ESPN Mock

Three Takeaways From Atlanta's 123-110 Win Over Charlotte

Trae Young Scores 35 and Atlanta's Bench Dominates Charlotte For Hawks Fourth Straight Victory