After not initially appearing on the injury report, the Hawks added star forward Jalen Johnson (right calf tightness) to it one hour before their game vs the Clippers was supposed to begin. WIth the game about to start, the Hawks have announced the final playing status for Johnson tonight.
Johnson is going to be out tonight for the Hawks. They are going to be thin in frontcourt tonight with Kristaps Porzingis already ruled out and I would expect Mouhamed Gueye to get the start in his place.
An @emoryhealthcare injury update: Jalen Johnson (right calf tightness): Out https://t.co/1HTKUUqDj5
— Atlanta Hawks (@ATLHawks) December 3, 2025
The Atlanta Hawks have played the most road games in the NBA this season, and they just had a back-to-back in Philadelphia and Detroit, splitting the games 1-1. Now the Hawks return home to play the Los Angeles Clippers, who have transformed from one of the best teams in the NBA to one of the worst.
For the Hawks, they are hoping to get back on track after a Monday night loss. They have been put it tough scheduling spots and played on the road a lot, but tonight represents a chance to get back in the win column before the Denver Nuggets come to town on Friday night.
Behind the Numbers
In the game preview this morning, our own Rohan Raman took a deeper look at the numbers behind the Hawks from the first 22 games of the season:
“After a tough night from the Hawks on offense against the Pistons, they’ll be in search of a big performance tonight to get themselves right. They’re 16th in points, 9th in FG%, 9th in 3P%, 20th in FT%, 25th in rebounds (25th in OREB, 18th in DREB), 1st in assists and 18th in turnovers per game. They’re 17th in offensive rating on the year.
Even though they didn’t win and the Pistons shot themselves in the foot plenty of times on offense, it was still a strong night for the Hawks on defense. On a per-game basis, the Hawks rank 12th in points allowed, 10th in FG% allowed, 6th in 3P% allowed, 24th in rebounds allowed, 5th in steals and 9th in blocks. They’re 8th in defensive rating on the year, which is a testament to how well they’ve been playing overall on defense.
Despite having James Harden and Kawhi Leonard, the Clippers’ offense has looked toothless as of late. These two players are completely overtaxed and they aren’t receiving much support from anyone on the roster outside of Ivica Zubac. They’re 26th in points, 16th in FG%, 16th in 3P%, 1st in FT%, 26th in rebounds (26th in OREB, 24th in DREB), 28th in assists and 21st in turnovers per game. They’re 20th in offensive rating this season.
The Clippers have made the playoffs in the past two seasons primarily off the strength of their defense and ability to slow down opposing offenses. That identity has been completely shattered to start the season. They’re 22nd in points allowed, 22nd in FG% allowed, 29th in 3P% allowed, 10th in rebounds allowed, 17th in steals, and 17th in blocks. Their lack of depth and athleticism is why they’re 27th in defensive rating.”
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