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

Jackson Caudell | Apr 4, 2024

Apr 3, 2024; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Detroit Pistons forward Tosan Evbuomwan (18) has his shot / Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

After getting a closer-than-expected win over the Detroit Pistons, the Atlanta Hawks are going to see a big upgrade in competition tonight when they travel to Dallas to take on the red-hot Mavericks. 

The Hawks also come into this game playing well, even if last night was not the dominating effort that most expected. Atlanta has won six of their last seven games, they clinched their spot in the Play-In Tournament for the third straight year, and Atlanta is now tied with the Chicago Bulls for the No. 9 spot in the Eastern Conference Standings. 

Tonight is going to be one of the tougher challenges the Hawks have faced. Atlanta lost their earlier game in the year to Dallas, allowing Luka Doncic to score 73 points and win the game in Atlanta. Dallas won that game without star guard Kyrie Irving and they did not have their trade deadline acquisitions P.J. Washington and Daniel Gafford. The Mavs have been one of the league's best teams since the trade deadline and those guys are a big reason why. Luka is also playing at an MVP level and making his case for the award. 

Note: Keep an eye on the Hawks injury report today. I don't know if anyone will be added to the injury report, but the Hawks are on a back-to-back and there could be a surprise addition today. 

This promises to be one of the toughest games for the Hawks for the rest of the season. Let's preview how the two teams match up. 

Game Preview

The Hawks have been rolling along as of late and have been getting healthier. Dejounte Murray gets a lot of the attention for the Hawks with Trae Young out, but the supporting cast around him has stepped up over the past few games. Murray had a kind of quiet 24-point game last night vs Detroit, but he has been playing excellent over the past couple of weeks and earned the Eastern Conference Player of The Week this week. 

Bogdan Bogdanovic did not play very well last night in terms of shooting, but he has been one of the Hawks's best players all season and can get hot from three quickly. He had 38 points on Saturday vs the Bucks and shot the ball well in a win on Monday vs the Bulls. 

After two rough shooting games vs the Bucks and the Bulls, De'Andre Hunter had one of his most efficient nights shooting the ball last night against the Pistons. Hunter was 11-16 from the field and 3-6 from three, scoring 26 points. Hunter did not play in the last matchup between these teams and he will likely be one of the players guarding Doncic tonight. 

Jalen Johnson had one of his best nights as a pro last night against the Pistons and he was able to record his first career triple-double. Johnson had 28 points, 14 rebounds, and 11 assists, shooting 10-14 from the field. Johnson will also likely get a chance at guarding Doncic tonight. 

Clint Capela has been playing excellent basketball as of late and is going against a team that is below-average in rebounding. Capela has been a double-double machine, as well as playing pretty solid defense. 

The Hawks bench rotation will probably look similar to what it did last night. Kobe Bufkin, Garrison Matthews, Bruno Fernando, and Vit Krejci will all see playing time, but they will probably need to contribute more than they did last night. Bufkin and Matthews each had nine points, but Krejci and Fernando did not have their best game. Last night was probably the best game from Bufkin during his rookie season. 

The Hawks come into this game 5th in PPG, 19th in field goal percentage, 7th in three-point attempts, 14th in three-point percentage, 7th in free-throw attempts, 2nd in offensive rebounding, and 15th in turnovers. Per Cleaning the Glass, Atlanta is 9th in points per 100 possessions, 16th in effective field goal percentage, 10th in turnover percentage, 5th in offensive rebounding percentage, and 11th in free throw rate.

The Mavericks have improved as a defense since acquiring these guys, but they are still below average overall. Dallas is 20th in PPG allowed, 20th in field goal percentage allowed, and 19th in three-point percentage allowed. Per Cleaning the Glass, Dallas is 18th in points allowed per 100 possessions and 18th in effective field goal percentage allowed. 

The Maverick's offense though is one of the league's best and that is no surprise when you have Doncic and Kyrie Irving. Doncic leads the league with 33.9 PPG and is third in assists, averaging 9.8 per game. 

The Mavericks come into this game 6th in PPG, 11th in field goal percentage, 2nd in three-point attempts, 11th in three-point percentage, 11th in free throw attempts, 23rd in offensive rebounding, and 7th in turnovers. Per Cleaning the Glass, the Mavericks are 6th in points per 100 possessions, 5th in effective field goal percentage, 6th in turnover percentage, 26th in offensive rebounding percentage, and 16th in free throw rate. 

The Hawks's defense has played better over the past two weeks, but it is still not one of the league's better units. Atlanta is 27th in PPG allowed, field goal percentage allowed, and three-point percentage allowed. Per Cleaning the Glass, Atlanta is 26th in points allowed per 100 possessions and 28th in effective field goal percentage allowed. 

Injury Report

The Hawks have yet to release their injury report so keep an eye out for when it is released. 

Josh Green and Derrick Lively are out tonight for Dallas. 

Viewing and Betting information

Tip-off time: 7:30 p.m. Eastern Time

Location: American Airlines Center, Dallas, TX

Where to Watch: NBA League Pass, Bally Sports Southeast,

Spread and Over/Under: The Hawks will be underdogs on the road tonight, as they are currently 11.5 point underdogs according to the latest odds from the Ceasars Sportsbook and the over/under is set at 230.5.

Projected Starting Lineups

Hawks:

G- Bogdan Bogdanovic

G- Dejounte Murray

F- Jalen Johnson

F- De'Andre Hunter

C- Clint Capela

Pistons:

G- Luka Doncic

G- Kyrie Irving

F- Derrick Jones Jr

F- P.J. Washington

C-Daniel Gafford