Hawks vs Heat: Game Preview, Injury Report, Projected Starting Lineups

Can Atlanta win their third game in a row when they face Miami on the road tonight?

The Atlanta Hawks have won two games in a row, but they will have a big challenge in front of them tonight on the road in Miami. 

This is going to be the third matchup of the season for the Hawks and the Heat, with Miami winning the previous two this season. Atlanta has had trouble with the Heat, dating back to their playoff matchup a couple of seasons ago. Trae Young in particular has struggled when playing the Heat, but he might not even be healthy enough to see the floor tonight. 

Young is questionable (illness) to play tonight and if he does not, that would be a huge blow to the Hawks. Atlanta has a game at home tomorrow and they could decide to hold Young out on the first night of a back-to-back. Keep an eye on the injury report to see if he is able to go tonight. 

So can the Hawks surprise the Heat and get a road win? Let's preview the game. 

Game Preview

Will Trae Young play vs the Heat tonight? / Sam Navarro-USA TODAY Sports

Miami has been battling injuries this year, but this is probably the most healthy they have been when playing the Hawks. Jimmy Butler missed their previous two matchups, but he is going to be a full go tonight. 

The Heat are coming off of a puzzling blowout loss to the Raptors, a game which was never really close. 

When you look at the stats, the Heat seem like they are the same kind of team that they have been ever since they acquired Jimmy Butler. Miami is 26th in PPG, 21st in field goal percentage, 20th in three-point attempts, 8th in three-point percentage, 10th in free throw attempts, 25th in rebounding, and 10th in turnovers. Per Cleaning the Glass, the Heat are 20th in points per 100 possessions, 21st in effective field goal percentage, 16th in turnover percentage, 24th in offensive rebounding percentage, and 3rd in free throw rate. It is a struggle for Miami when they are in the halfcourt, but they have players that can have a huge game (especially against the Hawks defense). 

Tyler Herro is having a huge seaosn, averaging 22.0 PPG while shooting 43.6% from the field and 40% from three. Herro has had big games against the Hawks before and he can get hot in a hurry. 

Everyone knows how good the duo of Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo is. Adebayo carried the Heat on his back against the Hawks in their first matchup this season while Herro and Butler are out and he is going to make life tough for the Hawks offense. Adebayo is arguably the best defensive player in the NBA and will play a huge role tonight. 

Jaime Jaquez Jr has had a great rookie season, but he is doubtful to play tonight. 

Other Heat role players such as Kyle Lowry, Duncan Robinson, and Nikola Jovic can present problems for Atlanta, especially Robinson. 

Atlanta is 28th in PPG allowed, 29th in field goal percentage allowed, 25th in three-point percentage allowed, and 18th in three point attempts allowed. Per Cleaning the Glass, the Hawks are 26th in points allowed per 100 possessions and 29th in effective field goal percentage allowed. They don't really have a good matchup for some of the Heat's best players, but I am interested to see if Jalen Johnson will guard Butler tonight, which I assume he will. 

Jalen Johnson vs the Wizards / Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

The Hawks offense is much better than its defense, that much I can tell you. 

Atlanta is 4th in PPG, 20th in field goal percentage, 6th in three-point attempts, 17th in three-point percentage, 6th in free throw attempts 7th in rebounding, and 20th in turnovers. Per Cleaning the Glass, the Hawks are 11th in points per 100 possessions, 20th in effective field goal percentage, 17th in turnover rate, 4th in offensive rebounding, and eighth in free throw rate. 

Both Miami and Atlanta are very good at getting to the free throw line and I would not be surprised if that is a huge factor tonight. Another thing to watch is the amount of three-pointers Atlanta can knock down. Miami is 24th in three-point attempts allowed and Atlanta is 6th in three-point attempts. Atlanta is likely to have plenty of attempts, but they have to knock them down, which has been a challenge. 

Hawks Give Injury Update On Rookie Mouhamed Gueye

Trae Young is in the midst of a really good season, averaging 27.2 PPG and 10.9 APG. If he plays, he is going to have to deal with the difficult defense for the Heat. Miami is 4th in PPG, 17th in field goal percentage allowed, 24th in three-point attempts allowed, 12th in points allowed per 100 possessions, and 19th in effective field goal percentage. 

Can the Hawks find a way to break through?

Dejounte Murray is coming off of a very good game against the Magic, who also have a very good defense. Murray had an efficent night scoring the ball, including the game winning shot. Murray and Bogdan Bogdanovic are going to have to play huge roles tonight, especially if Young does not play. 

Injury Report

Young was added to the injury report yesterday and is listed as questionable with an illness. The rest of the injury report is business as usual. Mouhamed Gueye (right low back stress fracture), De’Andre Hunter (right knee inflammation), Vit Krejci (left shoulder subluxation), and Wesley Matthews (right calf strain) are all out for Atlanta.

Jaime Jaquez Jr is doubtful for the Heat and Kevin Love is questionable. 

Update: Young has been ruled out for this game

Viewing and Betting Information

Tip-off time: 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time

Location: Kaseya Center, Miami, FL

Where to Watch: NBA League Pass, PeachTree TV

Spread and Over/Under: The Hawks will be underdogs tonight, as they are currently 6.5-point underdogs according to the latest odds from the SI Sportsbook and the over/under is set at 226.5

Projected Starting Lineups

Hawks:

G- Bogdan Bogdanovic

G- Dejounte Murray

F- Jalen Johnson

F- Saddiq Bey

C- Clint Capela

With Young out tonight, look for Bogdan Bogdanovic to start in his place. 

Heat:

G- Tyler Herro

G- Kyle Lowry

F- Jimmy Butler

F- Nikola Jovic

C- Bam Adebayo

Player to Watch on the Hawks- Bogdan Bogdanovic

Bogdanovic should be in the mix for the sixth man of the year award and he has been one of the Hawks most important players. Given that the Heat allow a good deal of three-point attempts and that Young might not play, Atlanta might need a big night from him. 

Player to Watch on the Heat- Jimmy Butler

Butler makes the Heat go and he missed the first couple of meetings between the two teams. Whether it is on offense or defense, Butler can make a huge impact on this game. 

Prediction

The uncertainity around whether Young will play or not makes this a tough game to predict. If he plays, Atlanta does have a chance given that Miami is not exactly playing well right now. However, Miami has proven to be a nightmare matchup for the Hawks and I think Miami wins tonight with big games from Butler and Herro. 

Final Score: Heat 112, Hawks 105

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