Charlotte Hornets at Atlanta Hawks Game Preview

Getting you ready for today's Hornets game.

The Hornets are hitting the road on Saturday to take on the division-rival Atlanta Hawks.

The Hawks are in the midst of a five-game win streak that has seen them rise to the current eighth seed in the Eastern Conference. Led by the talented backcourt duo of Trae Young and Dejounte Murray, the Hawks are a dangerous team when both are firing on all cylinders.

The Hornets recently snapped a five-game losing streak, finally taking a win on Wednesday against the Houston Rockets. While there could be some momentum there to build on, it's looking like LaMelo Ball, Cody Martin, and Gordon Hayward are all at risk of missing tonight's game. 

The Hornets are no stranger to missing these specific players though, as Ball, Hayward, and Martin have already combined to miss 88 games on the season.

It will be up to Terry Rozier, Jalen McDaniels, and Mason Plumlee to lead the team to victory if they are short-handed. McDaniels has especially come on lately, showing a knack for defense respected by many across the league.

What to watch for: Points in the Paint

The Hornets are third in the NBA in terms of the percentage of points scored in the paint at 48.6%. For a team that is dead-last in the NBA in 3PT%, getting those buckets on the inside is vital. With Ball, the team's leading 3PT shooter, potentially out for the game, this discrepancy is exacerbated further. Enter the Hawks, who allow the sixth-most points in the paint per game in the NBA. Atlanta also allows the sixth-most second-chance points in the league, showing a potential vulnerability that majorly lines up with the Hornets' play style. 

2022-23 Team Stats

PPG: 115.9 (ATL), 112.4 (CHA)

RPG: 43.4 (ATL), 45.2 (CHA)

APG: 24.2 (ATL), 25.3 (CHA)

FG%: 47.5% (ATL), 45.1% (CHA)

3FG%: 34.4% (ATL), 32.8% (CHA)

FT%: 82.3% (ATL), 74.8% (CHA)

2022-23 Team Leaders:

Minutes: Dejounte Murray - 36.5 (ATL), Terry Rozier - 35.6 (CHA)

FG%: Clint Capella - 64.2% (ATL), Mason Plumlee - 65.9% (CHA)

3FG%: Aaron Holiday - 41.0% (ATL), LaMelo Ball - 37.0% (CHA)

PPG: Trae Young - 27.1 (ATL), LaMelo Ball - 23.5 (CHA)

RPG: John Collins - 7.8 (ATL), Mason Plumlee - 9.8 (CHA)

APG: Trae You g - 9.7 (ATL), Terry Rozier - 5.3 (CHA)

SPG: Dejounte Murray - 1.7 (ATL), Kelly Oubre Jr. - 1.6 (CHA)

BPG: John Collinw - 1.3 (ATL) , PJ Washington - 1.1 (CHA)

Stat key: PPG - points per game | RPG - rebounds per game | APG - assists per game | SPG - steals per game | BPG- blocks per game

Hawks roster

PG: Trae Young, Aaron Holiday, Vit Krejci

SG: Dejounte Murray, Bogdan Bogdanovic, Trent Forrest

SF: De'Andre Hunter, AJ Griffin, Justin Holiday

PF: John Collins, Jalen Johnson, Frank Kaminsky

C: Client Capella, Onkyeka Okongwu, Derrick Favors

Head coach: Nate McMillan

Hornets roster

PG: LaMelo Ball (DTD), Dennis Smith Jr. , Theo Maledon

SG: Terry Rozier, Kelly Oubre Jr. (OUT), Cody Martin (DTD), James Bouknight

SF: Gordon Hayward (OUT), Jalen McDaniels, Bryce McGowens

PF: P.J. Washington, Kai Jones, JT Thor

C: Mason Plumlee, Nick Richards, Mark Williams

Head coach: Steve Clifford

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