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

Can the Hawks win their fourth straight game tonight when they face Toronto?

Dec 28, 2024; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young (11) looks to pass behind Miami Heat forward Nikola Jovic (5) at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images / Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

After getting a big win over the Miami Heat on Saturday and moving into 6th place in the Eastern Conference, the Atlanta Hawks begin a long road trip tonight with a matchup against the Toronto Raptors. Both teams are on streaks of different kinds heading into today's game. Atlanta has won three in a row while the Raptors have lost their last nine games and have slipped to the bottom of the Eastern Conference. This is the first meeting between the two teams this season.

The injury report for the Hawks is going to be key in this game. They are on the second night of a back-to-back and are traveling, while the Raptors have not played since Thursday. The Hawks were missing Bogdan Bogdanovic, Dyson Daniels, and Onyeka Okongwu yesterday and after the game, the Hawks announced that Larry Nance Jr sustained a hand injury during the game. Trae Young was also questionable coming into the game and could be again for this game.

Game Preview

Coming into tonight's game, the Hawks are 8th in the NBA in PPG, 13th in FG%, 20th in 3PA, 19th in 3P%, 3rd in FTA, 27th in turnovers, and 4th in rebounding. Per Cleaning the Glass, Atlanta is 14th in points per 100 possessions, 18th in effective field goal percentage, 19th in turnover percentage, 7th in offensive rebounding percentage, and 7th in free throw rate.

Currently, the Hawks rank 27th in PPG allowed 20th in field goal percentage allowed, 30th in three-point attempts allowed, and 29th in three-point percentage allowed. Per Cleaning the Glass, Atlanta is 16th in points allowed per 100 possessions and 28th in effective field goal percentage allowed.

The Raptors are 13th in PPG, 16th in field goal percentage, 28th in 3PA, 23rd in 3P%, 13th in free throw attempts, 9th in rebounding, and 20th in turnovers. Per Cleaning the Glass, the Raptors are 19th in points allowed per 100 possessions, 22nd in effective field goal percentage, 22nd in turnover percentage, 4th in offensive rebounding percentage, and 21st in free throw rate.

Defensively, Toronto ranks 26th in PPG allowed, 16th in FG% allowed, 19th in 3PA allowed, and 9th in three-point percentage allowed. Per Cleaning the Glass, 25th in points allowed per 100 possessions and 13th in effective field goal percentage allowed.

Trae Young had another fantastic game passing the ball, hitting double-digit assists by halftime and finishing with an 11-point and 15 assist double-double. Young has been an All-Star level player this year and assuming he is good to go tonight, has a chance for a big game against the Raptors.

Dyson Daniels was not able to play yesterday due to an illness, but if he is able to go tonight, he will likely be tasked with guarding Scottie Barnes, the leader of the Raptors offense. Daniels is a candidate for defensive player of the year, most improved player, and 1st team all-defense. If you want to know how much the Hawks have improved on defense this season, look at yesterday's game. They did not have Daniels and still had a solid game vs the Heat.

After scoring 16 points and being a catalyst towards the Hawks miraculous comeback vs the Bulls, Zaccharie Risacher did not have the same kind of affect in yesterday's game. He was 4-12 from the field and only scored nine points.

Jalen Johnson continues to make his case for being an All-Star and had perhaps his best game of the season yesterday. Johnson scored 28 points on 13-20 shooting, grabbed 13 rebounds, and had five assists. Johnson continues to ascend and can be the Hawks best player on any given night.

The center position is going to be a huge question mark for the Hawks. They are likely to be without Okongwu and Nance tonight, meaning it might be Dominick Barlow that gets minutes as the backup. Clint Capela might have to play more minutes than he typically does if that is the case tonight. Barlow is a good offensive player, but has defensive struggles.

De'Andre Hunter is another Hawk that is in consideration for a major award and that is 6th man of the year. Hunter continued his case yesterday by scoring 26 points on 8-14 shooting and he has had an incredible season. What will the rest of the bench look like tonight for the Hawks? If Bogdanovic plays, he will of course be a part of it. Vit Krejci is sure to see minutes tonight and if Bogdanovic does not go, Garrison Matthews is in line for more minutes and he has been playing fantastic. He scored 25 points in a win over Minnesota and then 18 yesterday vs Miami. Keaton Wallace played 13 minutes last night, scoring five points and playing solid defense.

Injury Report

The Hawks are on the second night of a back-to-back and have not released their injury report yet. We will update that when it becomes available.

Update (1:24)- Onyeka Okongwu (knee inflammation), Trae Young (heel contusion), and Bogdan Bogdanovic (leg contusion) are all questionable for tonight while Dyson Daniels (illness) and Larry Nance Jr. (right hand) are both out.

Odds

Coming into tonight , the Hawks are 1.5 point favorites vs the Raptors and the total is set at 239 according to Fanduel Sportsbook.

Projected Starting Lineups

Hawks

G- Trae Young

G - Dyson Daniels

F - Zaccharie Risacher

F - Jalen Johnson

C - Clint Capela

Raptors

G- Scottie Barnes

G- Grady Dick

F- R.J. Barrett

F- Ochai Agbaji

C- Jakob Poeltl

Related Links

Atlanta Hawks Provide Significant Injury Update For Larry Nance Jr