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

Following an impressive win over the Golden State Warriors, can the Hawks win their third straight game against a dismal 76ers squad?

Mar 10, 2025; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Hawks guard Dyson Daniels (5) goes to the basket past Philadelphia 76ers forward Guerschon Yabusele (28) during the second half at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images / Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

While the Hawks haven't had the most consistent second half to the season, yesterday was their best win following the All-Star Break. Against a red-hot Warriors team that won nine of its last ten games, Atlanta shot 57% from the field and 42% from three. Golden State have one of the best defenses in the NBA this year and a strong rebounding team, but the Hawks outscored the Warriors 60-44 in the paint, had 49 bench points, and outrebounded the Warriors 46-38. Simply put, they out-executed Golden State and it would not have been possible without a balanced scoring effort from Trae Young, Onyeka Okongwu and Georges Niang. Young led the way with 25 points and 10 assists, Okongwu had 22 points, 12 rebounds, and six assists, and Niang came off the bench to score 23 points and hit six of his nine three-point shots.

Tonight, they're back in action against a 76ers team that looks much weaker than their previous opponent. In their last matchup against Philadelphia, the Hawks did not need Young or Caris LeVert, one of their best bench players, in a easy 132-123 win. Since losing to Atlanta, the 76ers have lost five of their last six with their only win coming against a decimated Mavericks team. This is one of the worst teams in basketball and it's an excellent opportunity for Atlanta to pad its record. However, the Hawks cannot afford to overlook the Sixers. They did that against Brooklyn and paid the price by losing, 122-114, against the current 13th seed in the Eastern Conference.

Game Preview

Coming into tonight's game, the Hawks are 5th in the NBA in PPG, 14th in FG%, 15th in 3PA, 20th in 3P%, 2nd in FTA, 25th in turnovers, and 13th in rebounding. Per Cleaning the Glass, Atlanta is 18th in points per 100 possessions, 18th in effective field goal percentage, 21st in turnover percentage, 13th in offensive rebounding percentage, and 8th in free throw rate.

Currently, the Hawks rank 27th in PPG allowed, 28th in field goal percentage allowed, 15th in three-point attempts allowed, and 27th in three-point percentage allowed. Per Cleaning the Glass, Atlanta is 17th in points allowed per 100 possessions and 28th in effective field goal percentage allowed.

The 76ers' offense is one of the NBA's worst. They are 25th in the NBA in PPG, 22nd in FG%, 17th in 3PA, 26th in 3P%, 10th in FTA, 6th in turnovers, and 30th in rebounding. Per Cleaning the Glass, Philadelphia is 21st in points per 100 possessions, 22nd in effective field goal percentage, 9th in turnover percentage, 25th in offensive rebounding percentage, and 3rd in free throw rate.

They also struggle mightily on defense. They rank 18th in PPG allowed, 30th in field goal percentage allowed, 14th in three-point attempts allowed, and 27th in three-point percentage allowed. Per Cleaning the Glass, the Sixers are 27th in points allowed per 100 possessions and 30th in effective field goal percentage allowed. However, they do have the third-best TOV% on defense with a 16.7% mark.

Dyson Daniels was excellent in his last game against the 76ers, scoring 25 points on 10-14 shooting and also dishing out seven assists and pulling down six rebounds. Given how weak the 76ers' perimeter defense is, it's reasonable to expect a similar performance tonight. Daniels had an efficient double-double against the Warriors with 12 points and 11 rebounds, not to mention his three steals. He'll likely be assigned to Quentin Grimes, who gave the Hawks 35 points in his last outing versus Atlanta. Grimes has been Philly's best offensive player and that likely won't change tonight. As a 76er, he's averaging 21.9 points, 5.1 rebounds and 4.2 assists on 50.7/39.3/71.8 shooting splits.

Onyeka Okongwu's performance in the first half of the Warriors game was critical for the win and he draws the matchup tonight against Guerschon Yabusele. Yabusele is a strong rebounder and offers an element of floor spacing that makes him a unique player to guard (38.5% shooter from deep on 3.8 attempts per game). However, Okongwu has done well against floor-spacing centers in Myles Turner and Quinten Post. Post still hit three of his four attempts from deep, but Okongwu did a good job of limiting him inside the paint.

A former 76er, Georges Niang was incredible against the Warriors and draws a much easier matchup tonight against one of the worst 3P% defenses in the NBA. While he probably won't hit six threes again, expect him to provide consistent spacing again tonight. This could be a great game for Caris LeVert to find his 3-ball again after going 1-5 against Golden State. Even so, the Hawks' bench piece had 14 points yesterday and should find similar success against Philadelphia.

Zaccharie Risacher has been on a definite upswing over the second half of the season and he was excellent against the 76ers in his first game against them. He had 11 points in the opening quarter and finished with 22 in the game, as well as eight rebounds. Risacher had a solid outing against Golden State as well - he went 2-5 from deep and scored 14 points as a nice complementary scorer. He isn't the most consistent scorer, but his single-digit scoring games are becoming less common and his three-point shooting continues to grow with each game. Tonight is an excellent opportunity for him to boost his numbers.

Philly doesn't have a lot of strong points in their lineup, but Justin Edwards and Ricky Council IV are two players to keep an eye on. After going undrafted in the 2024 NBA Draft, Edwards has acclimatized well to the NBA as a confident wing shooter with size. He's made 3+ threes in each of his last three games and he's shooting 35.5% on 4.2 attempts per game on a lineup with very little spacing. If he gets hot, that could be a difficult matchup for the Hawks. Council is a strong finisher (career rim% of 63.8) who draws fouls. Chuma Okeke has been a fill-in for the 76ers at power forward and he offers a little bit of shooting (54.5% from deep on 2.2 attempts per game) while averaging a career-high 5.2 rebounds per game. The 76ers are also the worst rebounding team in the NBA, so the Hawks can probably win this game early just by getting second-chance points and building an insurmountable lead.

The 76ers are also decimated by injuries and are specifically playing a very small lineup. Andre Drummond and Adem Bona are both out, so Yabusele is the only real center in the lineup. Tyrese Maxey, Joel Embiid and Paul George have all been ruled out of the matchup and that leaves the Sixers without any sort of star power in their lineup.

Injury Report

Keaton Wallace has been ruled out, but the rest of Atlanta's injury report won't be released until later today because the team is on a back-to-back.

For Philadelphia, Kyle Lowry, Lonnie Walker IV, Adem Bona, Andre Drummond, Tyrese Maxey and Kelly Oubre have all been ruled out. Joel Embiid, Eric Gordon and Paul George are out for the season.

Odds

According to Fanduel Sportsbook, the Hawks are 9.5 point favorites against the 76ers tonight and the total is set at 239.

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

76ers

G - Quentin Grimes

G - Jared Butler

F - Justin Edwards

F - Chuma Okeke

C- Guerschon Yabusele

Additional Links

Why the Atlanta Hawks Will Be The Toughest Play-In Matchup For Either the Cavaliers or The Celtics

Which Teams Should Atlanta Hawks Fans Be Rooting For Today (3/20)?

Atlanta's Offense Carves Up Golden State's Defense to Hand Them a 124-115 Loss