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

Can the Hawks continue gaining momentum in the race for the NBA Cup by beating the Wizards tonight?

Rohan Raman | Nov 15, 2024

Oct 30, 2024; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young (11) drives to the basket as Washington Wizards forward Kyshawn George (18) and Wizards guard Bilal Coulibaly (0) defend in the first half at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images / Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

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Atlanta Hawks

The Hawks just got their biggest win over the year by shocking the full-strength Celtics in TD Garden, 117-116. They were without their best player in Trae Young, so there was very little expected of the Hawks in their matchup. However, they defied the odds thanks to excellent performances from Dyson Daniels, Jalen Johnson, Larry Nance Jr and Onyeka Okongwu.

Atlanta will try to add another win to their record in their Friday night matchup with the Wizards. Washington has struggled to begin this year as they currently sit at 13th in the Eastern Conference with a record of 2-8. That being said, Atlanta cannot afford to underestimate them. In their last two matchups, the Wizards won in surprising fashion after the Hawks' miscues caused them to falter.

Their most recent game, a 133-120 beatdown of the Hawks, slipped through Atlanta's grasp because of a weak fourth quarter effort. In the fourth quarter, Washington shot 71% from the floor and 67% from three. They outscored the Hawks 76-55 in the second half to secure the win. Therefore, they cannot afford to look this opponent over. Furthermore, if the Hawks are serious contenders for the NBA Cup, this is a game they need to win in order to give themselves a chance at the knockout round.

Fortunately, they should have a better chance of doing that due to finally getting healthy. Daniels did not suit up against the Wizards, but will be available for this matchup. Trae Young (who missed Tuesday's game vs Boston) is off the injury report and De'Andre Hunter is as well. Hunter last played on Oct. 25th. Unfortunately, they will be without Bogdan Bogdanovic (right hamstring tendinopathy), Kobe Bufkin (right shoulder subluxation), Vit Krejci (right adductor strain) and Cody Zeller (not with team). Still, there's three pieces returning that can make a legitimate impact for the Hawks. Whether it results in a win remains to be seen.

Game Preview

Coming into tonight's game, the Hawks are 9th in the NBA in PPG, 12th in FG%, 19th in 3PA, 20th in 3P%, 5th in FTA, 19th in FT%, 19th in rebounding, 2nd in steals, and 19th in turnovers. Per Cleaning the Glass, Atlanta is 13th in points per 100 possessions, 14th in effective field goal percentage, 21st in turnover percentage, 18th offensive rebounding percentage, and 1st in free throw rate. From an offensive perspective, they do a good job of staying aggressive on offense. Trae Young and Jalen Johnson's ability as scoring threats is a big reason for the Hawks' strong marks in points per game and free throw attempts. However, they are still not a proficient three-point shooting team. Part of that can be attributed to the absence of Bogdanovic. Last year, he shot 37.4% from deep on a staggering 8.1 attempts a game. On defense, the presence of Dyson Daniels is what contributes to their high steal numbers. Daniels has been one of the best perimeter defenders in the NBA this season and averages a league-leading 3.6 steals per game. For some context, it's a whole 1.3 steals higher than Jordan Poole in second place.

Washington comes into this game 20th in PPG, 22nd in field goal percentage, 9th in 3PA, 11th in 3P%, 20th in FTA, 6th in FT%, 26th in rebounding, 11th in steals, and 20th in turnovers. Per Cleaning the Glas s, Washington is 27th in points per 100 possessions, 24th in effective field goal percentage, 20th in turnover percentage, 22nd in offensive rebounding percentage, and 20th in free throw rate. While the overall numbers are not very impressive, it is worth nothing the Wizards' high marks as three-point shooters, free throw shooters and steal numbers. This suggests they are a team that will spread the defense out and can swing a game with shooting variance. It also goes towards the aggressiveness of the defense. However, neither the offense or defense are particularly imposing.

Washington's number one focus will be to slow down Trae Young and Jalen Johnson. Young is making his way back from a recent injury, so he might not be able to provide an encore to the 35 point, 15 assist game he had in their last meeting. Still, they are not flush with obvious defensive options for Young. Johnson seems to be in the midst of a run — he just dropped an 18 point, 13 rebound and 10 assist triple-double in his game against Boston and put up 21 points with 17 rebounds and four assists in his last appearance against the Wizards. It should be interesting to see how Johnson handles the matchup with Alex Sarr, who the Wizards drafted in the 2024 NBA Draft with the second overall pick. Even though Bilal Coulibaly is an improved defender, I do not think he's an imposing enough option on that end to predict a silent game from Johnson or Young.

I am also interested if the centers can carry their success from the Boston game back home. All of Clint Capela, Onyeka Okongwu and Larry Nance Jr contributed in different, but impactful ways. Capela showed up as a rebounder and reliable paint scorer, Nance torched Boston's defense as a shooter and Okongwu got the game-winning tip in. If they can replicate even some of that against Washington and Young puts up his usual numbers, this should be arguably the easiest win of the user.

Furthermore, one matchup that should be fun to track is the likely battle between Bub Carrington and Dyson Daniels. Carrington has gotten off to a solid start as a rookie — he is putting up 9.9 points a night on 43.2/36.1/88.9 splits while dishing out 5.1 assists. He's shown he's capable of running an NBA offense, but Daniels is a different level of defender. His understanding of space and active hands help him as a formidable 1v1 defender. Limiting the Wizards' top option, forward Bilal Coulibaly, through some combination of Jalen Johnson, DeAndre Hunter and Zaccharie Risacher should also be a top priority for head coach Quin Snyder. Hunter could draw a challenging matchup in his return to game action, but I would not expect him to be particularly effective as the sole defender.

Injury Report

Bogdan Bogdanovic (right hamstring tendinopathy), Kobe Bufkin (right shoulder subluxation), Vit Krejci (right adductor strain) and Cody Zeller (not with team) are OUT.

For the Wizards, Malcolm Brogdon (right thumb surgery) and Saddiq Bey (left ACL surgery) are both out.