Hawks vs Kings: Game Preview, Injury Report, Projected Starting Lineup for Tonight’s Matchup

Can the Hawks keep their winning streak against the state of California going?

After beating the Luka-led Los Angeles Lakers with a severely underhanded squad in a surprising blowout, the Hawks pulled out a clutch win against the Clippers that came down to a last second three-point attempt by James Harden. Fortunately, Harden’s attempt did not connect and the Hawks were able to survive thanks to a massive 28-point performance from Vit Krejci off the bench. Kristaps Porzingis chipped in 20 points with three blocks and Jalen Johnson almost had another triple-double with 18 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists. However, the Hawks don’t win this game without Krejci stepping up.

The Hawks also out-scored Los Angeles 20-4 on the fast break, which made a massive difference in such a narrow win. Jalen Johnson, Zaccharie Risacher and Dyson Daniels are athletic enough to get up and down the court much quicker than their older counterparts on the Clippers and it’s turned into a good advantage for them to press as of late.

Fortunately, they should be healthier tonight against the Sacramento Kings. Both Jalen Johnson and Kristaps Porzingis will be in the lineup while Nickeil Alexander-Walker is questionable to play. If he’s able to shed the questionable tag, the Hawks will have their full lineup absent Trae Young. That would be helpful for the Hawks to avoid playing another close game against the Kings. While Sacramento isn’t quite on the level of the Lakers or even the Clippers, any game without Young in the lineup cannot be labeled as an easy win.

By the Numbers

Outside of Krejci, the Hawks’ offense was largely cold from deep. Still, Atlanta is 22nd in points, 15th in FG%, 19th on 3P%, 16th in FT%, 21st in rebounds (21st in OREB), 5th in assists and 9th in turnovers per game. They’re 23rd in offensive rating on the year. However, when they play good team basketball, it’s much easier to stomach the fact that Trae Young isn’t at the wheel.

Atlanta’s defense has been making strides and they continued to play well against the Clippers. On a per-game basis, Atlanta ranks 9th in points allowed, 7th in FG% allowed, 3rd in 3P% allowed, 26th in rebounds allowed, 11th in steals and 8th in blocks. They’re 10th in defensive rating on the year, which would be a great sign of progress if it holds up through a larger sample.

The trio of Zach LaVine, Domantas Sabonis and DeMar DeRozan haven’t been overly effective in making the Kings a good offense. They’re 21st in points per game, 11th in FG%, 11th on 3P%, 23rd in FT%, 29th in rebounds (29th in OREB), 14th in assists and 5th in turnovers per game. The advanced statistics don’t paint a great picture – they’re 24th in offensive rating.

As expected, their defense is one of the worst in the NBA. They’re 28th in points allowed, 29th in FG% allowed, 21st in 3P% allowed, 20th in rebounds allowed, 16th in steals and 27th in blocks. Keon Ellis and Keegan Murray are solid defenders, but playing three defensive liabilities in LaVine, DeRozan and Sabonis caps their ceiling as a defense. It’s why they are 27th in defensive rating.

Three Reasons Atlanta Can Win This Game

Jan 22, 2024; Sacramento, California, USA; Atlanta Hawks forward Jalen Johnson (1) drives to the basket against Sacramento Kings guard De’Aaron Fox (5) during the third quarter at Golden 1 Center. Mandatory Credit: Sergio Estrada-Imagn Images | Sergio Estrada-Imagn Images

The Kings’ defense isn’t as bad as the Nets, but they have been really poor on that end so far. It’s one of the softest matchups that the Hawks’ offense has faced all season. Especially in the case of Jalen Johnson, the difference between Precious Achiuwa and Keegan Murray is noticeable. Johnson looked good in his return and finished just shy of a triple-double with 18 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists. There shouldn’t be much resistance for him tonight and it’s also a good opportunity for Johnson to get back to his usual form as a rebounder. His TRB% is down from 2024-25’s 15.3% mark – he’s currently at 14.2%.

Although the Kings are actually a faster team in terms of pace (8th vs 16th), they aren’t that good of a team in transition. The Hawks have the edge in points off of turnovers (3rd vs 24th) and fast break points per game (8th vs 18th). This might be another game where the Hawks are able to out-athlete the Kings because Sacramento’s lineup can’t run with them.

It’ll be very interesting to see how the Hawks attack Domantas Sabonis in the paint tonight. It’s expected that they’ll have all three of their centers available and each of them brings something different towards the matchup with a veteran center who struggles on defense despite being massive. Sabonis is currently in the 0th percentile – yes, not exaggerating – with a 0.2% block percentage and fouls a lot (4.6% fouling percentage – 35th percentile). He is a decent defensive rebounder, but the Kings are 11 points better on defense when Sabonis sits. That’s a big weakness that the Hawks can expose.

Three Reasons Atlanta Might Lose This Game

Nov 18, 2024; Sacramento, California, USA; Sacramento Kings forward Trey Lyles (41) and Atlanta Hawks forward Onyeka Okongwu (17) fight for a rebound during the second quarter at Golden 1 Center. Mandatory Credit: Sergio Estrada-Imagn Images | Sergio Estrada-Imagn Images

Zach LaVine isn’t the best player to have on a team that has postseason aspirations, but he’s still one of the best high-volume shooters in the NBA. He’s shooting 42.3% from deep on almost eight attempts a game and is averaging 23.9 points per game. A hot night from LaVine could be enough for the Kings to get the better of the Hawks, considering that the Hawks don’t have a lot of high-volume scorers on the roster that can make up a deficit.

While they haven’t been good on either end of the court, one area that the Kings do excel in is taking care of the ball. They are 5th in the NBA when it comes to minimizing turnovers, so the Hawks might not be able to force their ball-handlers into frequent mistakes and win the game by winning the turnover battle. Turnovers are somewhat streaky, but it wouldn’t be overly surprising if this isn’t a high-steal game for the Hawks defense.

One player that needs to get more minutes for the Kings is Keon Ellis. He’s shooting a career-best 44.1% from deep on 3.8 attempts a game and has a career-high 3.4% steal percentage (96th percentile) despite not having a lot of minutes. The Kings’ defense is 7.9 points per game better when he’s on the court. Could Sacramento play him more against the Hawks? He matches up quite well with either Dyson Daniels or Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Dennis Schroder can’t really get it done on defense.

Injury Report

Atlanta Hawks: Nickeil Alexander-Walker is questionable while Trae Young and Nikola Durisic remain out.

Sacramento Kings: Keegan Murray is out while Devin Carter is questionable.

How to Watch

Here is how you can watch tonight’s game:

Tip-off time: 10:00 p.m. Eastern Time

Location: Golden 1 Center, Sacramento, CA

Where to Watch: FanDuel Sports Network

Spread and Over/Under: The Hawks will be favored on the road tonight, as they are currently 4-point favorites according to the latest odds from the Fanduel Sportsbook, and the over/under is set at 233.5.

Projected Starting Lineups

Hawks:

G – Keaton Wallace

G – Dyson Daniels

F – Zaccharie Risacher

F – Jalen Johnson

C – Kristaps Porzingis

Kings

G – Dennis Schroder

G – Zach LaVine

F – DeMar DeRozan

F – Precious Achiuwa

C – Domantas Sabonis

More Atlanta Hawks News:

Atlanta Hawks Release Injury Report Ahead of Matchup With Sacramento Kings

Three Thoughts After Short-Handed Hawks Get Narrow Win Over Clippers

Final Score Predictions For Hawks vs Clippers: Which Team Gets A Needed Win?

Hawks vs Clippers: Game Preview, Injury Report, Projected Starting Lineup for Tonight’s Matchup