Hawks vs Wizards: Spread and Score Predictions

Will the Hawks be able to get a win over the Wizards tonight on the road?

Oct 28, 2024; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; An Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young (11) drives to the basket against Washington Wizards guard Bilal Coulibaly (0) during the second half at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images / Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

The Hawks are back in action tonight and for the first time this year, they are playing a team for the second time. Atlanta gets another shot at the Washington Wizards tonight and they are hoping they can avenge Monday's loss. It will likely come down to how the Hawks handle the injuries that they are dealing with.

De’Andre Hunter (right knee inflammation) is questionable, Dyson Daniels (right hip flexor strain), Bogdan Bogdanovic (hamstring), Kobe Bufkin (shoulder), and Vit Krejci (adductor) are out. The Hawks also updated the status of Bogdanovic, Bufkin, and Krejci yesterday. Bufkin and Bogdanovic are going to be re-evaluated in four weeks while Krejci will be re-evaluated in two weeks. Daniels is day-to-day.

This is going to be tough for the Hawks to navigate for the time being, but they can still beat Washington, who will be without Kyle Kuzma and Malcolm Brogdon.

Coming into tonight's game, the Hawks are 7th in the NBA in PPG, 14th in FG%, 20th in 3PA, 18th in 3P%, 1st in FTA, 18th in FT%, 19th in rebounding, 4th in steals, and 21st 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. It has been a good start to the season on offense for the Hawks, but there are clearly ways to improve.

The Hawks have a strange defensive profile. They have shown growth on that end of the floor and improved in areas, but three-pointers are killing the Hawks. Atlanta is 28th in PPG allowed, 8th (!!) in field goal percentage allowed, 30th in 3PA allowed, and 30th in 3P% allowed. Per Cleaning the Glass, the Hawks are 24th in points allowed per 100 possessions, 21st in effective field goal percentage, 10th in turnover percentage, 22nd in offensive rebounding percentage allowed, and 20th in free throw rate allowed.

Per Cleaning the Glass, Washington is 25th in points per 100 possessions, 22nd in effective field goal percentage, 22nd in turnover percentage, 15th in offensive rebounding percentage, and 22nd in free throw rate.

The defensive end of the floor is not good for the Wizards. Washington is 30th in PPG allowed, 30th in field goal percentage allowed, 25th in 3PA allowed, 28th in 3PA allowed, and 28th in 3P% allowed. Per Cleaning the Glass, the Wizards are 30th in points allowed per 100 possessions and 30th in effective field goal percentage allowed.

With Kuzma out, the Wizards are going to have to rely on Jordan Poole, Corey Kispert, Bub Carrington and others to carry the scoring and try to take advantage of the Hawks three-point defense.

Prediction

If Hunter plays, I like the Hawks to win this game. They have the two best players on the floor with Young and Johnson and I would not count on Young having another bad game like he did on Monday. Washington won't have the same success from the three-point line as they did on Monday and Atlanta comes away with a win.

Final Score: Hawks 123, Wizards 115

Additional Links:

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

Which Backup Point Guard Could Atlanta Add in Free Agency?

Atlanta Hawks Provide Massive Injury Updates To Four Key Players