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

Can the Hawks find a way to upset the Kings tonight at home?

Oct 30, 2024; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young (11) drives to the basket as Washington Wizards forward Kyshawn George (18) defends in the first half at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images / Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

The Atlanta Hawks are hoping to avoid a fourth straight loss tonight when they face a Sacramento Kings team that is flying under the radar right now. After two close losses to the Timberowolves and Lakers, they have won two in a row vs Utah and Portland, but those are two of the worst rosters in the NBA. It is hard to argue though that the roster the Hawks currently embody is all that much better.

Bogdan Bogdanovic (right hamstring tendinopathy), Kobe Bufkin (right shoulder subluxation), Dyson Daniels (right hip flexor strain), De’Andre Hunter (right knee injury management, Vit Krejci (right adductor strain), Cody Zeller (not with team) are all out for the Hawks tonight. That is two starters for the Hawks and they are down four of their top five ball handlers. This is a tough spot for the Hawks and it is going to take a lot for them to have a chance in this game.

So how do these two teams matchup?

Game Preview

The Hawk's offense was fine (not great) in the last game vs the Wizards, but the defense was horrible. The problem for the Hawks is that they are going against a far superior team tonight when they face the Kings. Another thing I have my eye on is the second half. If the game is close in the first half, can the Hawks find a way to finish? The fourth quarter has been horrible for the Hawks in the last three games and some of that, especially on Wednesday night, might be due to being so shorthanded and gassed late in the game.

Coming into tonight's game, the Hawks are 7th in the NBA in PPG, 13th in FG%, 19th in 3PA, 21st in 3P%, 2nd in FTA, 20th in rebounding, and 21st in turnovers. Per Cleaning the Glass, Atlanta is 13th in points per 100 possessions, 14th in effective field goal percentage, 22nd in turnover percentage, 14th offensive rebounding percentage, and 1st in free throw rate.

Atlanta is 28th in PPG allowed, 18th in field goal percentage allowed, 30th in 3PA allowed, and 30th in 3P% allowed. Per Cleaning the Glass, the Hawks are 25th in points allowed per 100 possessions, and 25th in effective field goal percentage allowed.

Sacramento has one of the more consistent profiles in the NBA. They are 9th in the NBA in PPG, 3rd in field goal percentage, 20th in three point attempts, 20th in three point percentage, 16th in free throw attempts, 30th in rebounding, and 8th in turnovers. Per Cleaning the Glass, the Kings are 6th in points per 100 possessions, 6th in effective field goal percentage, 6th in turnover percentage, 27th in offensive rebounding percentage, and 9th in free throw rate.

The Kings have been a much better defensive team over the past few seasons and they have held their last two opponents to under 100 points. Sacramento is 10th in PPG allowed, 13th in field goal percentage allowed, 17th in three point attempts allowed, and 8th in three point percentage allowed. Per Cleaning the Glass, Sacramento is 9th in points allowed per 100 possessions and 12th in effective field goal percentage allowed.

Trae Young was phenomenal in the first half vs Washington on Wednesday, but faded in the second half and looked like he ran out of gas. He scored 35 poitns and had 15 assists in the game vs the Wizards on Wednesday and Atlanta is going to need that type of effort from him tonight. Being so shorthanded, Atlanta is going to need a big game from Young tonight, but will he be able to deliver?

Jalen Johnson has put two solid games together in a row for the Hawks, but like I said with Young, the Hawks are going to need a big game from Johnson to try and keep this competitive. Johnson scored 21 points on Wednesday and grabbed a career high 17 rebounds. The Kings are not a strong rebounding team this season and that could bode well for Johnson on the glass.

Zaccharie Risacher was a bright spot for the Hawks on Wednesday, especially on the defensive end of the floor. He also had a career high in points scoring 17 on 7-15 shooting and also grabbing six rebounds. With so many guys out, the Hawks are going to be relying on Risacher to provide a litlel bit of everything tonight with so many gusy out. He is likely going to have to spend time guarding De'Aaron Fox and that is going to be a big challenge.

The center spot was not a good spot for the Hawks on Wednesday. Clint Capela and Onyeka Okongwu both struggled against the Wizards and they will have a tough matchup tonight vs Domantas Sabonis.

David Roddy was the other starter for the Hawks on Wednesday and while he was able to score 17 points, he really struggled on defense the other night. All of the Kings lineup is tough to defend so Roddy needs to be better on that end tonight.

Garrison Matthews and Keaton Wallace are the other guys that I expect to see off the bench. Wallace played well in a short stint on Wednesday, while Matthews struggled to do much of anything.

The Kings lineup of Fox, Kevin Huerter, DeMar DeRozan, Keegan Murray, and Sabonis has been one of the NBA's best this year and it could give the Hawks a lot of problems tonight. Atlanta is missing a lot of their top perimeter defenders and the Kings could have a big day on offense.

Injury Report

Bogdan Bogdanovic (right hamstring tendinopathy), Kobe Bufkin (right shoulder subluxation), Dyson Daniels (right hip flexor strain), De’Andre Hunter (right knee injury management, Vit Krejci (right adductor strain), Cody Zeller (not with team) are all out for the Hawks tonight.

Odds

The Hawks are going to be six-point home underdogs tonight vs the Kings according to Fanduel Sportsbook

Projected Starting Lineups

Hawks:

G- Trae Young

G-Zaccharie Risacher

F- David Roddy

F- Jalen Johnson

C- Clint Capela

Kings:

G-De'Aaron Fox

G- Kevin Huerter

F- DeMar DeRozan

F- Keegan Murray

C-Domantas Sabonis

Additonal Links

Injury Report: Hawks vs Kings

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