Hawks vs Lakers: Injury Report

The Hawks will try to win their sixth straight game tomorrow night

Jan 30, 2024; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young (11) dribbles against the Los Angeles Lakers during the first half at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images / Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

The Atlanta Hawks are tied for the longest winning streak in the NBA at five games and they have a chance to extend it to six tomorrow night when they face the Los Angeles Lakers at home. The Lakers have not been playing well recently and are coming off a 41-point loss to the Miami Heat on Wednesday night. Ahead of the game tomorrow night, the Hawks have released their injury report and there are no real changes from previous games.

Trae Young (right Achilles tendinitis) is probable and Cody Zeller (not with team) is out.

The Atlanta Hawks are surging right now and have won five straight games, including two wins over the Cavaliers and a win over the Bucks last night that ended their seven-game winning streak. They are now tied for 5th place in the Eastern Conference and playing great basketball. Not long ago, the Hawks were 7-11 and had embarrassing losses to the Wizards (twice!), a blown lead vs Portland, a loss at the buzzer to the Pistons, and a loss to the Mavs without Luka. Sure, they beat Boston on the road without Trae Young, but that looked like the outlier compared to what they were doing on a consistent basis. Over the last five games though, Atlanta has beaten Cleveland twice (Cavs only have three losses all season) and Milwaukee (who was on a seven-game winning streak heading into the game).

The main reason for optimism if you are a Hawks fan is the way the team is playing together and how much they have improved on defense. During the winning streak, no player has scored more than 26 points in a game, but they don't seem to mind. They are playing team basketball that is reminiscent of the 2014-2015 Hawks team that won a franchise record 60 games and made it to the conference finals for the first time. While this team is not going to win 60 games (I think?), they are playing the same brand of basketball, but the difference is they have a star point guard who has turned into more of a facilitator this season. It is fair to be concerned about Trae Young's shooting numbers (38% from the floor and 30% from three) and at some point they are going to need him to shoot better, but his playmaking has been fantastic and the way he is deferring to his teammates and getting them involved is something that has stood out. Young is leading the NBA in assists, averaging 12.0 per game.

The defense for the Hawks has been awesome over this stretch of games. In three of the last five games, Atlanta has held their opponent to 104 points or less and they currently rank 14th in points allowed per 100 possessions per Cleaning the Glass. Dyson Daniels leads the league in steals and has set the tone for the Hawks on that end of the court. Jalen Johnson is playing at an All-Star caliber level, and Zaccharie Risacher is making a huge impact on the defensive end. De'Andre Hunter is playing the best basketball of his career and is starting to look like a 6th Man of the Year candidate.

THey have to avoid letting the Lakers get right though. While they have not been playing well, Atlanta has to take care of business.

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