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

Jackson Caudell | Apr 10, 2024

Mar 23, 2024; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Hawks guard Dejounte Murray (5) reacts against the / Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

After a tough, double-overtime loss to the Miami Heat, the Atlanta Hawks are back in action for their final home game of the season. Atlanta remains one game behind the Bulls for the No. 9 spot in the Eastern Conference and is running out of opportunities to catch up. 

They do have a chance to get a win against one of the league's worst teams tonight though. The Charlotte Hornets are back in Atlanta and the last time they were here just a few weeks ago, Atlanta won the game by 41 points. Charlotte does not have anything to play for coming into tonight, while the Hawks are fighting for the No. 9 spot. 

The injury report for this game is going to be important. Because both teams played last night, neither team has released their injury report for tonight's game. The Hawks lost Jalen Johnson in last night's game due to his ankle being injured again and there could be another update on Trae Young, who was not able to play last night vs Miami. Earlier this morning, ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski hinted that Young could make his return tonight vs the Hornets. Charlotte could also elect to rest someone due to it being a back-to-back and not having anything to play for. 

Atlanta Hawks All-Star guard Trae Young is nearing a return and could play as soon as tonight vs. the Charlotte Hornets, sources tell ESPN. Young had been out since surgery to repair a torn ligament in a finger on February 25. The Hawks hold the final Eastern Play-In spot. pic.twitter.com/sORxcvOOnR

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) April 10, 2024

Let's preview tonight's game. 

Game Preview

Not only will the injury report be important to see, but how Atlanta comes out for tonight's game coming off of a double-overtime loss will be interesting as well. Atlanta is a more talented team than Charlotte by far, but there could be some fatigue tonight and it might give Quin Snyder a chance to either rest some guys or play the bench heavier minutes. 

Dejounte Murray is one guy who has been logging heavy minutes for the Hawks and is coming off a 29-point triple-double vs the Heat last night. Murray has had to take the reigns of the offense without Young out, but I think it would benefit him if Snyder played Bufkin more minutes tonight. 

Bogdan Bogdanovic has been one of the best players on the Hawks this season but is coming off a really rough shooting night vs the Heat. Bogdanovic was 4-17 and only scored 11 points. He missed several good looks last night and in a game that went to double overtime and was close, that was one of the differences. 

De'Andre Hunter was one of the Hawks's best players last night, scoring 23 points and grabbing 11 rebounds. He was taking advantage of mismatches vs Tyler Herro and look for him to do the same tonight. 

I would not expect Jalen Johnson to play tonight, but we'll see what the injury report says. If he does not play, I would expect Vit Krejci to get the start. Krejci has been a nice surprise for the Hawks and has taken advantage of his opportunity. 

Clint Capela is coming off of a rough performance himself. He scored six points and grabbed 11 rebounds and was a -11 when on the floor. With a capable guy like Bruno Fernando, I think it is wise of Snyder to not play Capela heavy minutes tonight. 

Garrison Matthews, Bufkin, Fernando, and Wesley Matthews are the guys you can expect to come off the bench. If Young does indeed return, it will be interesting to see the bench rotation and if it changes. 

Coming into this game, Atlanta ranks 6th in PPG, 20th in field goal percentage, 7th in three-point attempts, 18th in three-point percentage, 7th in free throw attempts, 1st in offensive rebounding, and 16th in turnovers. Per Cleaning the Glass, the Hawks are 10th in points per 100 possessions, 16th in effective field goal percentage, 11th in turnover percentage, 5th in offensive rebounding percentage, and 13th in free throw rate.

Charlotte is limping to the finish line of this season, but they could be catching the Hawks at the right time, coming off of a back-to-back. The Hornets have two guys in Brandon Miller and Miles Bridges that can cause headaches for opposing defenses and their best chance to win tonight is getting a big game from either of them. 

Aside from Miller and Bridges though, the Hornets offense is one of the NBA's worst. They are 29th in PPG, 26th in field goal percentage, 17th in three-point attempts. 24th in three-point percentage, 30th in free throw attempts, and 18th in turnovers. Per Cleaning the Glass, Charlotte is 27th in points per 100 possessions, 27th in effective field goal percentage, 21st in turnover percentage, 27th in offensive rebounding percentage, and 30th in free throw rate. 

The Hawks played one of their better defensive games last night, but it did not do much to raise their statistical profile on that end of the floor. The Hawks are 28th in PPG allowed, 27th in field goal percentage allowed, and 28th in three-point percentage allowed. Per Cleaning the Glass, the Hawks are 25th in points allowed per 100 possessions and 28th in effective field goal percentage allowed. 

Atlanta did not have much trouble scoring on the Hornets in the last game and they shouldn't tonight. The Hornets are 22nd in PPG allowed, 28th in field goal percentage allowed, and 25th in three-point percentage allowed. Per Cleaning the Glass, Charlotte is 28th in points allowed per 100 possessions and 30th in effective field goal percentage allowed. 

Injury Report

The injury reports for tonight have not been released, keep an eye on that later today. 

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 will be favorites at home tonight, as they are currently 10.5 point underdogs according to the latest odds from the SI Sportsbook and the over/under is set at 221.5.

Projected Starting Lineups

Hawks:

G- Bogdan Bogdanovic

G- Dejounte Murray

F- De'Andre Hunter

F- Vit Krejci

C- Clint Capela

Hornets:

G-Vasilije Micic

G- Tre Mann

F- Brandon Miller

F- Miles Bridges

C- Nick Richards