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

Can the Hawks get their fourth win of the season against the Wizards tonight?

Say what you will about the Hawks, but they are 3-0 against the Wizards this season.

Atlanta is coming off of a dismal performance against the Pacers last night but has a chance to bounce back quickly. The Hawks are playing in a back-to-back and host the Wizards tonight in Atlanta. This is the fourth meeting between the two teams and Atlanta is 3-0 so far against one of the NBA's worst teams. 

After getting a solid win against the 76ers on Wednesday, Atlanta responded with a terrible performance against Indiana, their third loss against the Pacers this season. Indiana was without star point guard Tyrese Haliburton last night, but they still managed to slice up the Hawks's porous defense. 

Can Atlanta forget their game from last night and get a win vs the Wizards? Let's preview the game. 

Game Preview

Jalen Johnson vs the Wizards / James A. Pittman-USA TODAY Sports

The first thing to know about this game is that the Hawks are on a back-to-back and because of that, there could be additions to the injury report or guys might sit tonight for rest. Be sure to keep an eye on the injury report for this game today. 

The Hawks offense is led by Trae Young, who is coming off of his worst performance of the season. It is never a good sign for the Hawks when Young has just 13 points, six assists, and is a -19 when on the court, but that is what happened last night. Young had a big game when they last played the Wizards and they are as bad as the Hawks are on defense, giving the potential of another huge performance. 

Atlanta is 4th in PPG, 17th 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, the Hawks are 7th in points per 100 possessions, 17th in effective field goal percentage, 10th in turnover percentage, 4th in offensive rebounding, and 7th in free throw rate. It is a good offense, but a lot of what they do is predicated on what Young can do. 

The only player who can say they had a good night last night was Dejounte Murray, who scored 29 points and was relentless on offense. It was not a great game, but Murray was pretty consistent last night. 

The Hawks have had a lot of success against the Wizards defense this season and it is not hard to see why. Washington is 30th in PPG allowed, 29th in field goal percentage allowed, 11th in three-point attempts allowed, and 22nd in three-point percentage allowed. Per Cleaning the Glass, Washington is 30th in points allowed per 100 possessions and 28th in effective field goal percentage. The Wizards roster is littered with poor defenders and rebounders and they have not been able to matchup with the Hawks in any of their three matchups this season. 

Dejounte Murray vs the Wizards / James A. Pittman-USA TODAY Sports

The numbers for the Hawks' defense are eerily similar to Washington's. Atlanta is 29th in points per game allowed, 30th in field goal percentage allowed, 17th in three-point attempts allowed, and 29th in three-point percentage allowed. Per Cleaning the Glass, Atlanta is 26th in points allowed per 100 possessions and 30th in effective field goal percentage. 

The Wizards don't have a great statistical profile on offense, but they do have players who are capable of having a big game on offense against what is essentially the worst defense in the NBA. Kyle Kuzma had a big game in their last meeting and either Jordan Poole or Tyus Jones can get going. 

Washington is 17th in PPG, 11th in field goal percentage, 14th in three-point attempts, 24th in three-point percentage, 24th in free throw attempts, and 20th in turnovers. Per Cleaning the Glass, the Wizards are 25th in points per 100 possessions, 15th in effective field goal percentage, 14th in turnover percentage, 30th in offensive rebounding percentage, and 28th in free throw rate. There is nothing that particularly stands out about the Wizard's offense, but they can have a big game against a defense as bad as Atlanta's. 

Injury Report

Atlanta is on the second night of a back-to-back and has not released their injury report for tonight's game. Keep a close eye on it. 

Johnny Davis and Landry Shamet are questionable for the Wizards. 

Viewing and Betting Information

Tip-off time: 7:30 p.m. Eastern Time

Location: State Farm Arena, Atlanta, GA

Where to Watch: NBA League Pass, Bally Sports Southeast

Spread and Over/Under: The Hawks are currently 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 254.5. 

Projected Starting Lineups

Hawks:

G- Trae Young

G- Dejounte Murray

F- Saddiq Bey

F- Jalen Johnson

C- Clint Capela

Wizards

G- Tyus Jones

G- Jordan Poole

F- Deni Avdija

F- Kyle Kuzma

C- Daniel Gafford

Player to Watch on the Hawks- Trae Young 

Young had a tough performance last night against the Pacers and it came at a bad time for the Hawks. Atlanta was facing a Pacers team without its best player and gave a flat performance. Atlanta needs to win games like these to stay in the play-in tournament race and Young has to play better for that to happen. 

Player to Watch on the Wizards- Kyle Kuzma

Kuzma had 38 points, eight rebounds, and five assists the last time that these two teams played and he is a tough matchup. Jalen Johnson is likely to draw the assignment on Kuzma in this game and he will need to keep Kuzma contained. The only way I can see the Wizards winning on the road is if Kuzma has a big game. 

Prediction

After seeing the way the Hawks played last night, it is hard to trust them to win against anyone. The Wizards are a bad team, but so are the Hawks and they have enough vulnerabilities to let the Wizards hang around. However, the Wizards have lost six in a row and the Hawks seem to have them figured out this year. 

Final Score: Hawks 133, Wizards 127

NBA Trade Rumors: Insider Says "Atlanta is Ready to Trade Dejounte Murray"

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