Hawks vs Thunder: Game Preview, Injury Report, Odds, And Projected Starting Lineups For Tonight's Game

After a blowout loss to the Heat, can the Hawks pull off a massive upset against the OKC Thunder to gain some momentum in the Eastern Conference playoff race?

Feb 26, 2025; Miami, Florida, USA; Atlanta Hawks guard Dyson Daniels (5) looks to pass the ball as Miami Heat center Kel'el Ware (7) defends in the second half at Kaseya Center. Mandatory Credit: Jim Rassol-Imagn Images / Jim Rassol-Imagn Images

Coming off a difficult road loss to the Miami Heat, the Atlanta Hawks are back in action at home against the OKC Thunder. Their performance following the All-Star break has left a bit to be desired. They got a nice win against the Heat on Monday, but dropped their other three games against the Magic, Pistons and Heat. Their 1-3 run certainly isn't helpful in their desire to secure a top-six seed and it seems like the Hawks are slated towards playing one of the Celtics or Cavaliers in the first round.

Nevertheless, they'll have an opportunity to see how they stack up against a team of similar caliber in their matchup. In their loss to the Heat, the Hawks practically lost the game with a 16-4 run in the last five minutes of the third quarter. Dyson Daniels led the team with 18 points while Trae Young had another quiet scoring night with 17 points and 8 assists. Zaccharie Risacher had 13 points and went 2-3 from deep in a bounce-back performance from a quiet night on Monday. Onyeka Okongwu had 13 points and nine rebounds. Although it didn't necessarily change the outcome, the Hawks' bench had another nice night from a scoring perspective. Caris LeVert had 17 points to go with 14 points from Terence Mann. However, Clint Capela and Georges Niang had difficult nights, grading out with a +/-of -19 in their minutes tonight.

To beat the Thunder, the Hawks are going to need to play their best basketball and it still may not be enough. However, they absolutely cannot give up the same looks that the Heat got and they need a torrid stretch of shooting from their offense. OKC is coming off a narrow 129-121 win over a rebuilding Nets team, so they are certainly gettable especially considering how well the Hawks have played against the Celtics and the Cavaliers.

Game Preview

Coming into tonight's game, the Hawks are 8th in the NBA in PPG, 16th in FG%, 15th in 3PA, 20th in 3P%, 2nd in FTA, 26th in turnovers, and 12th in rebounding. Per Cleaning the Glass, Atlanta is 17th in points per 100 possessions, 17th in effective field goal percentage, 21st in turnover percentage, 12th in offensive rebounding percentage, and 5th in free throw rate.

Currently, the Hawks rank 27th in PPG allowed, 29th in field goal percentage allowed, 17th in three-point attempts allowed, and 27th in three-point percentage allowed. Per Cleaning the Glass, Atlanta is 16th in points allowed per 100 possessions and 29th in effective field goal percentage allowed.

The Thunder have been one of the best offenses in basketball all year and the numbers bear that out. They are 4th in the NBA in PPG, 9th in FG%, 9th in 3PA, 13th in 3P%, 28th in FTA, 1st in turnovers, and 13th in rebounding. Per Cleaning the Glass, OKC is 5th in points per 100 possessions, 10th in effective field goal percentage, 1st in turnover percentage, 19th in offensive rebounding percentage, and 24th in free throw rate.

However, their real strength is their absolutely smothering defense. The Thunder rank 2nd in PPG allowed, 1st in field goal percentage allowed, 21st in three-point attempts allowed, and 1st in three-point percentage allowed. Per Cleaning the Glass, OKC is 1st in points allowed per 100 possessions and 1st in effective field goal percentage allowed.

The Hawks are going to need a bounce-back game from Trae Young if they have any chance of being in this game. Young has been below his usual standards as a scorer all season (likely partially due to his nagging Achillies tendinitis), but the last two games have not been pretty. After three straight games of 38 points, Young dropped 11 and 17 points respectively in both of his games against Miami. He'll avoid a difficult matchup with Alex Caruso, but Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is a excellent defender in his own right. It is important to note that the Thunder's defense has not been as strong out of the All-Star break as it has been for most of the season. Killian Hayes had an efficient 19 points and seven assists against OKC and the Thunder were essentially at full health. They've been very reliant on the combination of Chet Holmgren and Isaiah Hartenstein to shut teams down with incredible rim protection. This leaves them suspectible to guards finding some success against their perimeter defense. Young is due for a big scoring performance and this could be his get-right game.

On the other end, Dyson Daniels has the unenviable task of trying to slow down Gilgeous-Alexander. This was a matchup that Daniels struggled with in the Hawks' 104-128 loss to the Thunder earlier this season. Shai had 35 points on good efficiency while Daniels went 3-11 from the field with seven points and only one steal. Having more perimeter defense options in Caris LeVert and Terence Mann will be helpful in containing Shai, but Daniels is going to draw the vast majority of minutes.

One of the biggest X-factors for the Hawks in this matchup is going to be Onyeka Okongwu. Okongwu's lack of elite size or strength for the center position really shows up against true seven-footers that can bully him in the paint. OKC has two of those guys in Hartenstein and Holmgren,so Okongwu is going to communicate well with Georges Niang/Mohamed Gueye to take on the appropriate assignments. Fortunately, Okongwu moves well in space and can theoretically hold up with Holmgren on the perimeter. It's merely a question of how much he can really handle. This could be a matchup where Clint Capela gets some decent run as a option to keep Hartenstein intact due to their similar roles.

Zaccharie Risacher is another possible piece that could swing this game for the Hawks. With Caruso out, the Thunder don't really have a great answer for Risacher's size and off-ball cutting. Since January 1, Risacher's shooting 41.9% from deep on 3.9 attempts per game from deep. It isn't a high amount of volume, but he certainly needs to be respected from deep. OKC could put bigger defenders on him like Lu Dort and Hartenstein, but that could lead to problems if they can't keep up with his speed.

OKC's bench is populated with solid role players like Cason Wallace and Isaiah Joe. The Hawks will likely try some minutes where Keaton Wallace is matched up against his younger brother, but they'll need to be wary of Wallace's contributions as a defender. He has some of the best hands in basketball and played a critical role in OKC edging out the Nets. Joe is an excellent bench shooter who can get hot from deep quickly. Fortunately, the Hawks have a pretty deep bench as well. Caris LeVert's energy and activity as a scorer has been an excellent add (14.1 points per game as a Hawk) while Georges Niang is always a threat from deep (43.1% on 7.3 attempts from deep since the trade deadline). Terence Mann has been more up-and-down, but had a solid game against the Heat by scoring 13 points and dishing out four assists.

Injury Report

Trae Young (right Achilles tendinitis) is probable while Vit Krejci and Larry Nance Jr are both still out.

Alex Caruso (rest) and Ajay Mitchell (toe sprain) are both out against the Hawks.

Odds

According to Fanduel Sportsbook, OKC is a 12.5 point favorite tonight and the over/under is set at 241.

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

Thunder

G - Shai Gilgeous-Alexander

G - Luguentz Dort

F - Jalen Williams

F - Chet Holmgren

C - Isaiah Hartenstein