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

Can Atlanta defeat the San Antonio Spurs at home this afternoon?

The Hawks are going to be hosting their annual MLK Day game today and they will be welcoming Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs.

Atlanta comes into this game playing as poorly as they possibly could. They lost by 28 at home against the Wizards on Saturday night and they were also blown out by the Pacers on Friday night. Trade rumors are dominating the conversation around Atlanta right now and the fact of the matter is this team is not playing well. It has been a disappointing season for the Hawks, but things continue to trend downward. 

The Spurs are not a very good team, but they have plenty of intrigue with Victor Wembanyama leading the way. San Antonio has won two of their last three games and they are fully capable of winning this game today. 

So can the Hawks find a way to get a win or will they continue to plunge further towards the bottom? Let's preview the game. 

Game Preview

Can the Hawks slow down Victor Wembanyama? / Daniel Dunn-USA TODAY Sports

The Hawks have one of the NBA's better offenses on paper, but it has not been able to score much lately. The concerning thing for the Hawks is that they have not been playing good defenses and the Spurs fall into that category. 

Atlanta comes into this game 4th in the NBA in PPG, 21st in field goal percentage, 6th in three-point attempts, 17th in three-point percentage, 5th in free throw attempts, 8th in rebounding, and 16th in turnovers. Per Cleaning the Glass, Atlanta is 9th in points per 100 possessions, 20th in effective field goal percentage, 10th in turnover percentage, 4th in offensive rebounding, and 7th in free throw rate. 

The numbers for the Hawks's offense have fallen and aside from rebounding and getting to the free-throw line, it is hard to say the Hawks are really good at anything on that end. 

Trae Young has been playing like an All-Star level player this year, but the past two games have been among Young's worst this season. Young scored 13 points in a loss against the Pacers and then 21 in Saturday's loss to the Wizards. He is averaging nearly 28 PPG and 10.9 APG this season and in the first matchup with the Spurs this season, he scored 45 points.

Dejounte Murray has been the subject of most Hawks trade rumors, but he is having a good season. Murray is averaging 21.1 PPG, 4.9 APG, and 4.6 RPG while shooting 46.9% from the field and 39.1% from three. 

Bogdan Bogdanovic has a strong case for 6th Man of the Year and has been one of the bright spots for Atlanta this season. He is averaging 17.3 PPG while shooting 42.7% from the field and 36.9% from three. Like Young, Bogdanovic has not been playing well for the past few games. 

Jalen Johnson is having a huge breakout season. He did not play in the first matchup between these two teams and I think this is a matchup where he could have a big day. 

The Spurs have Wembanyama, who is great at blocking shots and defending around the rim, but the rest of the defense is not very good. They are 26th in PPG allowed, 24th in field goal percentage allowed, 23rd in three-point attempts allowed, and 26th in three-point percentage allowed. Per Cleaning the Glass, they are 25th in points allowed per 100 possessions and 26th in effective field goal percentage. 

Jalen Johnson vs the Wizards / Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

Wembanayama is having a very good rookie season and it is not out of the question for him to have a big game and lead the Spurs to victory. Wembanyama is averaging 19.4 PPG and 10.2 RPG while shooting 45.2% from the field. He leads the NBA in blocks per game with 3.1. 

Devin Vassell and Keldon Johnson are probably the two other guys on this team who are capable of having a big game. Vassell is averaging 18.0 PPG while shooting 46% from the field and 36.8% from three. He appears to be a building block for this team alongside Wembanayama. 

The numbers for the Spurs offense are not very good, but that can be thrown out the window because of the defense they are playing. San Antonio is 23rd in PPG, 28th in field goal percentage, 10th in three-point attempts, 27th in three-point percentage, 29th in free throw attempts, 21st in rebounding, and 26th in turnovers. Per Cleaning the Glass, the Spurs are 27th in points per 100 possessions, 25th in effective field goal percentage, 22nd in turnover percentage, 27th in offensive rebounding percentage, and 30th in free throw rate. The Spurs scored 135 points in a win over the Hornets and 130 in a win over the Pistons last week, showing they are capable of putting up points on bad teams. 

The numbers for Atlanta's defense are ugly. The Hawks are 29th in PPG allowed, 30th in field goal percentage allowed, 15th in three-point attempts allowed, and 29th in three-point percentage allowed. Per Cleaning the Glass, the Hawks are 26th in points allowed per 100 possessions and 30th in effective field goal percentage. 

Injury Report

Mouhamed Gueye (right low back stress fracture), De’Andre Hunter (right knee inflammation), Vit Krejci (left shoulder subluxation), and Wesley Matthews (right calf soreness) are all out for the Hawks. 

Zach Collins and Sidy Cissoko are out for the Spurs. 

Viewing and Betting Information

Tip-off time: 3:30 p.m. Eastern Time

Location: State Farm Arena, Atlanta, GA

Where to Watch: NBA League Pass, TNT

Spread and Over/Under: The Hawks are currently home favorites today, as they are 7.5-point favorites according to the latest odds from the SI Sportsbook and the over/under is set at 245.5.

Projected Starting Lineups

Hawks:

G- Trae Young

G- Dejounte Murray

F- Jalen Johnson

F- Saddiq Bey

C- Clint Capela

Spurs

G- Tre Jones

G- Devin Vassell

F- Julian Champagnie

F- Jeremy Sochan

C- Victor Wembanyama

It's Time for the Atlanta Hawks to Hit the Reset Button, but What Will That Look Like?

Player to Watch on the Hawks- Jalen Johnson

Johnson did not play against the Spurs in the first matchup and I think he could have a huge day on the boards. Besides Wembanyama, the Spurs don't have any strong rebounders and they don't really have any matchups for Johnson. He has been one of the most consistent players on the Hawks this year. 

Player to Watch on the Spurs- Victor Wembanyama

This is an easy choice, but it makes plenty of sense. I don't see the Spurs being able to win this game unless Wembanyama has a big game. Whether it is on defense or offense, the Spurs put a lot on their rookie and he is more than capable of delivering. 

Prediction

It is hard to pick the Hawks to win a game right now. They have looked lifeless in their last two performances and they were not playing good teams either. The Spurs play well against bad teams and that is the only way to describe the Hawks right now. Spurs win today in Atlanta. 

Final Score: Spurs 128, Hawks 122

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