Hawks Look to Soar at Home Against Top Team in the West
The Atlanta Hawks host the Oklahoma City Thunder tonight, in hopes of delivering an upset. Atlanta is coming off a disappointing loss on the road to the Miami Heat and has dropped four of their last five games. Currently sitting at 27-32, ninth in the Eastern Conference. They are in the mix of a tight race with the Heat, Magic and Pistons for the sixth seed to avoid the Play-In Tournament. The opposing Thunder are coming in 47-11, second best in the NBA behind the Cleveland Cavaliers. OKC is loaded with young talent but none more talented than MVP favorite, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Gilgeous-Alexander is averaging a career and NBA best 32.4 points per game, 6.2 assists, 5.2 rebounds and 1.9 steals. The Thunder are 8-2 over their last 10 games and hold a comfortable nine-game lead in the Western Conference. The Hawks have played the Thunder twice this season, losing both matchups on the road in Oklahoma City.
Hawks superstar guard, Trae Young, will look to help lead Atlanta past the Thunder. Young is averaging 23.9 points and 11.4 assists per game this season. His assist numbers lead the league and are the highest in his young career. Atlanta will need a highly efficient performance from their star on the offensive end, as the Thunder have multiple perimeter defenders they can throw at Young. Alongside him, Dyson Daniels will be a key player to watch on the defensive end. Daniels will have a tough matchup as the primary defender on Gilgeous-Alexander. He is certainly capable of the assignment, but shutting down Gilgeous-Alexander hasn’t happened all season by any team. Daniels is a strong candidate for Defensive Player of the Year after San Antonio Spurs big man, Victor Wembanyama, was recently ruled out for the season. The young guard has impressed in his third season, averaging a league best 3.1 steals per game. He is a long, versatile wing defender who can switch on any pick-and roll and lockdown opponents in one-on-one isolation. Daniels will look to create a long night for the potential MVP, and this game could make a huge case for him to win the award he deserves.
Another key matchup to watch is rookie first overall pick Zaccharie Risacher. He will have a tough test against the Thunder’s front court, which features Chet Holmgren and Isaiah Hartenstein. Both who present a lot of size and strength in the painted area. Risacher will be joined by forwards Onyeka Okongwu and Mouhamed Gueye in the starting lineup, but neither player stands taller than six-foot-11. Rebounding and rim protection will favor the Thunder, and Atlanta will try to counter that with speed and finesse along the wings and in transition. The Hawks will look to take advantage of their small-ball lineup with a heavy dose of Young and Daniels, to upset the Thunder coming into State Farm Arena. The Hawks currently sit as a 12.5-point underdog.
