Hawks vs Hornets: Game Preview, Injury Report, Projected Starting Lineups For Tonight's Game

After handling business without Trae Young against the 76ers, the Hawks take on a depleted Hornets squad tonight.

Nov 30, 2024; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young (11) shoots the ball against Charlotte Hornets forward Moussa Diabate (14) during the third quarter at Spectrum Center. Mandatory Credit: Scott Kinser-Imagn Images / Scott Kinser-Imagn Images

The Atlanta Hawks are back in action and have a relatively easy matchup - on paper - against another lottery-bound team depleted by injuries in the Charlotte Hornets. The Hornets are 16-48 and currently the 14th seed in the Eastern Conference. Outside of the Wizards, they're easily the worst team in the East. Part of that is due to a lack of quality NBA players in their rotation, but injuries to LaMelo Ball and Brandon Miller have severely sapped their roster.

Even though it was against the 76ers, the Hawks offense did not miss a beat without its best player. Dyson Daniels led the way on both ends of the floor and it resulted in one of his most complete games of the season. Daniels scored 25 points on 10-14 shooting and also had seven assists and six rebounds. Zaccharie Risacher had 11 points in the opening quarter and finished with 22 in the game, as well as eight rebounds. With LeVert out, the Hawks bench turned to Terance Mann (19 points, six rebounds, and four assists) and Georges Niang (18 points) and they stepped up. Mouhamed Gueye (14 points, 7 rebounds) had moments in this game and Vit Krejci returned to score eight points and four assists. The absence of Young's gravity made little difference as the Hawks' offense was in rhythm, scoring 132 points and shooting 54% from the field and 41% from three. Atlanta also had 76 points in the paint.

Against Charlotte, they should be able to control the game in a similar way even if Young isn't in the lineup for a second straight game. However, Atlanta cannot afford to take this matchup too lightly and make this a competitive game. Charlotte has won two straight games against the Nets and Heat, respectively. The Hawks are currently the 7th seed and 5.5 games back of the Pistons, so they need to take advantage of every matchup advantage down the stretch if they want to push to the 6th seed.

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%, 3rd in FTA, 26th in turnovers, and 12th in rebounding. Per Cleaning the Glass, Atlanta is 17th in points per 100 possessions, 17th in effective field goal percentage, 21st in turnover percentage, 12th in offensive rebounding percentage, and 7th 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 18th in points allowed per 100 possessions and 28th in effective field goal percentage allowed.

The Hornets offense is one of the most offensive - and not in a good way - in basketball. They are 28th in the NBA in PPG, 30th in FG%, 7th in 3PA, 28th in 3P% and 27th in FTA, 7th in turnovers, and 30th in rebounding. Per Cleaning the Glass, Charlotte is 29th in points per 100 possessions, 30th in effective field goal percentage, 25th in turnover percentage, 6th in offensive rebounding percentage, and 29th in free throw rate.

Surprisingly, the numbers suggest the Hornets' defense is not as putrid as the offense. They rank 14th in PPG allowed, 15th in field goal percentage allowed, 27th in three-point attempts allowed, and 3rd in three-point percentage allowed. Per Cleaning the Glass, the Hornets are 19th in points allowed per 100 possessions and 20th in effective field goal percentage allowed.

Trae Young and Caris LeVert both did not play against the 76ers, but i would be slightly surprised if neither played tonight. Ball and Miles Bridges will both be in the lineup for tonight's game - that's enough offensive firepower to give Atlanta pause about not having two of their four best scorers in the lineup. Even so, this should be a great opportunity for Young to rack up 20+ points with 10+ assists without much difficulty. He's averaging 26.0 points, 7.5 assists and 6.0 rebounds in the two games he's played against the Hornets this year.

Even though neither team is going to play the most exciting brand of basketball tonight, Dyson Daniels versus LaMelo Ball is one of the more interesting matchups in the NBA. Daniels' combination of size, length and defensive IQ have been instrumental in him averaging a league-leading 3 steals per game. However, he usually has a height advantage on the opposing ball-handler. There is no such advantage with Ball and the Hornets point guard also has the range to hit shots from practically anywhere on the court. He's been struggling as of late, but he can take over a game on any given night.

There should also be a good center matchup in this game between Mark Williams and Onyeka Okongwu. Since the trade deadline where he was almost traded to the Lakers, Williams is averaging 19.7 points and 13.2 assists per 36 minutes. He just turned in an excellent 24 point, 10 rebound effort in their win over the Miami Heat. Williams is one of the more inconsistent centers in the league, but it'll be interesting to see who comes out on top when comparing him and Okongwu. Okongwu has been largely solid since the trade deadline, averaging 17.6 points and 11.6 rebounds on a TS% of 66.8.

Although Ball hasn't been playing his best basketball recently, Miles Bridges is. In his last five games, he is averaging 33 points, 8.6 rebounds, and four assists. For some perspective, only Giannis Antetokounmpo, Nikola Jokic, and Victor Wembanyama have done that this season. He's going to be a big challenge for the Hawks to stop. Part of the plan to slow him down is going to be significant defensive minutes for Mo Gueye and Georges Niang.

Due to a back injury, Vit Krejci has been absent from the Hawks' rotation for an extended period of time. However, he returned against the 76ers and had a modest performance with eight points and four assists. Even if Young plays, it will be interesting to see whether Krejci can take on a larger workload tonight so the Hawks are able to limit Young's minutes.

DaQuan Jefferies and Josh Green have both been largely non-factors for the Hornets on offense, so the Hawks can hone in on stopping Ball and Bridges. There is still the possibility that those players are able to give Atlanta some problems, but there isn't much of a supporting cast to really consider in this matchup.

Injury Report

Trae Young (quad) and Caris LeVert (finger) are both questionable while Larry Nance (leg) is out.

For Charlotte, Jusuf Nurkic (shin) is questionable while Josh Okogie (hamstring), Brandon Miller (wrist), Tre Mann (back), Grant Williams (knee) are all out.

Odds

According to Fanduel Sportsbook, the Hawks are 8.5 point favorites against the Hornets tonight and the total is set at 233.5.

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

Hornets:

G - LaMelo Ball

G - DaQuan Jeffries

F - Josh Green

F - Miles Bridges

C- Mark Williams

Additional Links

Additional Links

Should the Atlanta Hawks Re-Sign Caris LeVert After This Season?

CBS Sports Ranks Trae Young As One Of The Biggest College Basketball Stars Of The Past 25 Years

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