Hawks vs Thunder: Spread and Final Score Predictions

Will the Hawks be able to pull off an upset win over Oklahoma City tonight on the road?

Oct 25, 2024; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young (11) protects the ball against Charlotte Hornets guard LaMelo Ball (1) during the fourth quarter at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Godfree-Imagn Images / Jordan Godfree-Imagn Images

The Atlanta Hawks season rolls on tonight as they face their biggest test of the young season so far. Atlanta travels to Oklahoma City tonight to face the Thunder, who have looked fantastic to start the season. OKC was thought to be among the top teams contending for the NBA title this season and they have looked the part so far in their first two games.

The Hawks are off to a 2-0 start after wins vs Brooklyn and Charlotte and they have been exciting to watch so far. Newcomer Dyson Daniels has been a huge addition to the team and No. 1 pick Zaccharie Risacher is fitting right in and making impacts in other ways than scoring. Maybe most importantly though, Trae Young is looking like an All-NBA guard through two games.

Young is off to a fantastic start to the season and has two straight games of at least 30 points and10 assists. In the game against Charlotte on Friday, Young had 38 points and 10 assists on 11-24 shooting and he also had eight rebounds. He is going to be facing one of the league's best defenses tonight and the Thunder have a lot of options to try and guard Young.

The story of the Hawks season so far has been Dyson Daniels. Daniels has played incredible defense and is also playing well on the offensive end, scoring 18 points on 8-10 shooting. He will be tasked with guarding MVP candidate Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Daniels had some early fouls in the game that caused him to have to sit in the first half and he is going to have to watch that tonight.

De'Andre Hunter was fantastic in the game against the Hornets on Friday. He scored 24 points on 7-14 and looked comfortable with the ball and was aggressive on offense. Hunter is going to continue to be in the starting lineup and he may be guarding Jalen Williams tonight. After a tough preseason, Hunter has bounced back nicely and is off to a good start.

The Hawks are going to need Jalen Johnson to step up to the challenge tonight. Johnson has gotten off to a slow start so far this season, but that is by his standards. He scored 16 points on 4-15 shooting and he was 1-4 from three. He has not shot the ball super well this season, but it has been only two games.

The center position has seen Onyeka Okongwu play more minutes in each game and that may continue tonight. The Thunder are a better matchup for Okongwu and I think he is going to play more than Capela. Okongwu did not have another 28 point game, but he was still impactful vs Charlotte. Will this be the first game that Larry Nance plays this season?

The bench is still going to be without Bogdan Bogdanovic and Kobe Bufkin. On Friday vs Charlotte, Zaccharie Risacher, Vit Krejci, Garrison Matthews, and Okongwu came off the bench. In terms of scoring, no player off the bench hit double digits, but they found ways to impact the game.

Risacher has still not hit his stride so far in two games and has struggled shooting the ball. However, he has played well on defense and is doing a lot of things such as defending and rebounding. Risacher is getting open shots and has shown a willingness to shoot them. It won't be long before the stats show up.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams, Cason Wallace, Lou Dort, and Chet Holmgren were the starters for the Thunder against the Bulls last night. Gilgeous Alexander (23 points), Williams (24), and Holmgren (21) led the way for the team. Oklahoma City has a very deep bench and with them being on a back-to-back, you could see a lot of guys play tonight.

The Hawks are going to be without Bogdan Bogdanovic, Kobe Bufkin, Dominick Barlow, Seth Lundy, and Cody Zeller in tonight's game.

Here is how you can watch tonight's game:

Tip-off time: 7:00 p.m. Eastern Time

Location: Paycom Center, Oklahoma City, OK

Where to Watch: Bally Sports Southeast

Prediction

This is going to be a massive test for the Hawks. They could make a statement with a road win vs Oklahoma City, but I want to see how they matchup and how the compete. So far this season. Oklahoma City looks the part of one of the top teams in the NBA and I think this is going to be too tall of a task for the Hawks on the road.

Final Score: Thunder 116, Hawks 108

Additional Links

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

Injury Report: Hawks vs Thunder

Biggest Takeaways From The Atlanta Hawks 125-120 Win Against the Hornets