Atlanta Hawks Vs Memphis Grizzlies: Game Preview, Injury Report, Projected Starting Lineups For Today's Matchup

The Atlanta Hawks had an fantabulous opportunity to get backmost connected way and threat a three-game losing streak against an highly beatable Bucks team. Instead, they went down 54-38 to them astatine halftime. Even so, they tried to equine a comeback and a second-half surge from Nickeil Alexander-Walker gave them a chance astatine it pinch a one-point shortage and 12 seconds to play. Unfortunately, CJ McCollum wasn't capable to get a bully look off, and they squandered an fantabulous chance to bargain a win.

In reality, nan Hawks didn't play good capable to triumph that crippled and it's symptomatic of nan mediocre agelong Atlanta has been connected recently. They sewage a bully crippled from Jalen Johnson (28 points, 16 rebounds, and six assists) and a awesome crippled from Nickeil Alexander-Walker (32 points, six rebounds, and six assists). However, they sewage a mixed 23 points from their different 3 starters and changeable 28.6% from heavy arsenic a squad while letting nan Bucks sprout 44.4% from deep.

They person different bully opportunity to get a triumph against nan Grizzlies, but they request to fig retired their issues connected some ends of nan tribunal sooner alternatively than later. They are presently 5 games beneath .500 and 10th successful a reasonably mediocre Eastern Conference. If they tin get backmost into nan apical seed of nan play-in earlier nan All-Star Break, that would group Atlanta up for a bully changeable astatine making nan postseason arsenic a top-six seed for nan first clip since nan 2020-21 season.

By nan Numbers

Unsurprisingly, Atlanta's inability to muster capable points to get wrong a double-digit separator astatine halftime didn't bode good for their numbers connected offense. They are 10th successful points, 10th successful FG%, 10th successful 3P%, 21st successful FT%, 25th successful rebounds (25th successful OREB, 18th successful DREB), 1st successful assists, and 16th successful turnovers per game. However, they're 22nd successful violative standing this year, which indicates nan discourtesy isn't playing arsenic good arsenic immoderate of nan surface-level numbers would suggest.

Atlanta's defense continues to beryllium a unsmooth watch for astir of nan season, and nan numbers carnivore that out. They rank 25th successful points allowed, 23rd successful FG% allowed, 15th successful 3P% allowed, 26th successful rebounds allowed, 5th successful steals, and 16th successful blocks. They're 16th successful protect standing this year.

Memphis has dealt pinch immoderate difficulties successful getting Ja Morant to bargain into this team, and nan deficiency of wide cohesion connected discourtesy has been apparent. They're 20th successful points, 26th successful FG%, 22nd successful 3P%, 11th successful FT%, 4th successful rebounds (13th successful OREB, 5th successful DREB), 5th successful assists, and 22nd successful turnovers per game. Unsurprisingly, they're 24th successful violative standing this year.

The Grizzlies are nan meaning of a thoroughly mean defense. They rank 16th successful points allowed, 7th successful FG% allowed, 13th successful 3P% allowed, 19th successful rebounds allowed, 22nd successful steals, and 13th successful blocks. They're 13th successful protect standing this year.

Three Reasons nan Hawks Can Win This Game

Nickeil Alexander-Walker was perfectly electrical against nan Bucks by scoring 32 points and 7 threes. However, he was particularly bully down nan stretch. NAW's expertise to return complete games successful nan clutch for nan Hawks has been consistently excellent, and he's earned nan spot to beryllium a large portion of nan discourtesy down nan stretch. Relative to nan remainder of nan NBA, nan Hawks sprout rather good arsenic a squad successful nan 2nd half. They are 8th successful points and 4th successful nan NBA for 3P% during nan 2nd half, while Memphis is 19th successful 3P% during nan aforesaid range. The Grizzlies aren't needfully built to waste and acquisition shots pinch a bully clutch discourtesy down nan stretch, and nan Hawks should beryllium amended equipped to do so.

While nan defense has been mostly horrible for nan Hawks passim nan year, nan second-half protect effort deserves a batch of praise. Milwaukee only took 9 attempts from nan section successful nan 3rd quarter, which speaks to nan level of connection and togetherness nan Hawks showed connected defense against nan Bucks during nan 2nd half. They person problem pinch sustaining that effort passim nan full game, but location are clear flashes wherever nan protect imagination for this Hawks roster is obvious.

After an perfectly sadistic agelong of games, Jalen Johnson looked overmuch person to his normal aforesaid against nan Bucks. He almost had a triple-double pinch 28 points, 16 rebounds, and six assists while making 3 of his attempts from deep. It collapsed a three-game streak of finishing pinch nether 20 points for Johnson and coming should beryllium an breathtaking matchup to watch for him. Santi Aldama isn't overmuch of a defender, but it'll beryllium very absorbing to spot really Johnson handles a difficult Jaren Jackson Jr matchup.

Three Reasons nan Hawks Might Lose This Game

While a batch has been made astir really bad CJ McCollum has been for nan Hawks, Corey Kispert hasn't been a banner acquisition for Atlanta, either. The Hawks person a nett standing of -5.3 successful nan 72 minutes that Kispert has been connected nan court. It's a mini sample size, but Kispert besides wasn't peculiarly awesome arsenic a starter against a unspeakable Bucks defense. It's adjacent to wonderment if some he and McCollum should beryllium coming purely disconnected nan chair from now on, and it could wounded them against Memphis if some are successful nan starting lineup.

Speaking of nan bench, Memphis has 1 of nan champion 2nd units successful nan convention owed to its extent and versatility. Cam Spencer has been 1 of nan champion shooters successful nan NBA this play and he's shooting 46% connected a ludicrous 5 attempts a game. John Konchar is an underrated chair defender who has an elite STL% of 3.2% and a 17.2 DREB%, some of which are successful nan 98th percentile aliases better. However, nan existent prize mightiness beryllium GG Jackson. Jackson is starting to look for illustration nan subordinate who popped for Memphis during their injury-riddled play - he is shooting 52% connected area threes, 53% connected midrange shots, and 78% astatine nan rim, albeit connected constricted volume. He besides draws interaction astatine an above-average rate, and nan Grizzlies are a stunning 9.6 points amended per 100 possessions pinch him connected nan floor.

After a beautiful coagulated rebounding effort against Milwaukee, nan Hawks request to show that aforesaid effort against an fantabulous Memphis rebounding team. JJJ isn't a very bully rebounder, but nan remainder of Memphis' roster fights for other possessions and they person a top-10 REB% for some violative and protect rebounding. The Hawks person struggled against bully rebounding teams each year, truthful this is going to beryllium a large trial for them.

Injury Report

Kristaps Porzingis and Zaccharie Risacher are some out.

For Memphis, Scotty Pippen Jr, Zach Edey, Ty Jerome and Brandon Clarke are each retired while Santi Aldama is questionable.

How to Watch

Here is really you tin watch tonight's game:

Tip-off time: 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time

Location: FedEx Forum, Memphis, TN

Projected Starting Lineups

Hawks

G - Nickeil Alexander-Walker

G - Dyson Daniels

F - Corey Kispert

F - Jalen Johnson

C - Onyeka Okongwu

Grizzlies

G - Ja Morant

G - Cedric Coward

F- Jaylen Wells

F- Santi Aldama

C- Jaren Jackson Jr

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