Atlanta Hawks vs Charlotte Hornets: Game Preview, Injury Report, Projected Starting Lineups for Today’s Matchup
The Atlanta Hawks didn’t play their best basketball against the Jazz, but a clutch shot by Nickeil Alexander-Walker gave the Hawks a much-needed win. They’ll need to be much better against the Charlotte Hornets.
To be clear, the Hornets are 24-28. Their record would imply that the season is close to being over, but the record doesn’t take into account how well the Hornets have been playing to start 2026. The trio of Kon Knueppel, Brandon Miller and Miles Bridges have a 126.3 offensive rating over 582 minutes – the Denver Nuggets currently lead the NBA with a 120.7 rating. They’ve won eight straight games, including impressive wins over the Spurs, Rockets and 76ers. This team is a legitimate threat to make the playoffs and the Hawks are going to have a difficult time stopping their momentum.
Fortunately, the Hawks still have the best player in the matchup with Jalen Johnson. He scored 22 points on 19 shots while turning the ball over four times, which would be a bad game for practically any other star. However, he still contributed 16 rebounds and 15 assists to finish as a +7. Jock Landale also made waves in his Hawks debut with 26 points, 11 rebounds and five assists while hitting five threes.
This is quietly a very important matchup for the Hawks. While they won’t have their full roster available to them yet, it’ll be interesting to see how Atlanta holds up against a team they’ll likely have to beat out for a postseason spot.
By the Numbers
Nov 23, 2025; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Charlotte Hornets guard Sion James (4) passes against Atlanta Hawks guard Nickeil Alexander-Walker (7) during the second half at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images | Dale Zanine-Imagn Images
Atlanta shot the ball poorly against Utah, but they made up for it with 34 assists to the Jazz’s 19 and kept the ball moving enough to outlast the Jazz. They are 7th in points, 9th in FG%, 5th in 3P%, 22nd in FT%, 25th in rebounds (25th in OREB, 16th in DREB), 1st in assists, and 13th in turnovers per game. They’re 20th in offensive rating this year.
The Hawks’ defense continues to struggle on a nightly basis and things didn’t really look better against the Jazz. They are 24th in points allowed, 21st in FG% allowed, 11th in 3P% allowed, 26th in rebounds allowed, 5th in steals, and 17th in blocks. They’re 16th in defensive rating this year.
The Hornets have been one of the hottest offenses in basketball this season and Atlanta got to see it first-hand when Charlotte dropped 133 points on them in their December matchup. They’re 15th in points, 21st in FG%, 6th in 3P%, 3rd in FT%, 5th in rebounds (8th in OREB, 6th in DREB), 13th in assists, and 29th in turnovers per game. They’re 8th in offensive rating this year.
The defense has been decent at times, but they still have work to do on that end. They are 11th in points allowed, 19th in FG% allowed, 22nd in 3P% allowed, 1st in rebounds allowed, 30th in steals, and 20th in blocks. They’re 17th in defensive rating this year.
Three Reasons the Hawks Can Win This Game
Nov 23, 2025; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Hawks forward Jalen Johnson (1) is fouled while scoring by Charlotte Hornets guard Liam McNeeley (33) during the first half at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images | Dale Zanine-Imagn Images
Jalen Johnson has yet to record his usual triple-double against the Hornets, but the Hawks’ All-Star has been absolutely unstoppable against the Hornets. He put up 28 points, 11 assists and eight rebounds in his first game against Charlotte before following it up with a 43-point explosion where he also grabbed 11 rebounds and dished out nine assists. Miles Bridges has taken the bulk of minutes against Johnson, who’s scored 21.5 points per 75 possessions on 60.9 TS% with Bridges guarding him. It’ll be interesting to see how the Hornets alter their scheme to guard Johnson, but this isn’t a particularly difficult matchup for him.
The possession battle is going to be very important in this game. While the Hawks are at a huge rebounding disadvantage against the Hornets, Charlotte does turn the ball over at the highest clip in the NBA and the Hawks force a ton of steals. This is a game that the Hawks need to lean into the transition battle to win. Ball, Miller and Knueppel are all high turnover players – each one of them has a TOV% below the 40th percentile.
Atlanta shipped out Vit Krejci because of what they can get on the bench from Corey Kispert or CJ McCollum on a nightly basis. While McCollum has been more consistent, Kispert stepped up against the Jazz and scored 20 points off the bench in a one-point victory. His defense is still a huge problem, but he can certainly get hot off the bench and give the Hawks a jolt of offense.
Three Reasons the Hawks Might Lose This Game
Nov 23, 2025; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Charlotte Hornets guard Kon Knueppel (7) tries to dribble past Atlanta Hawks guard Vit Krejci (27) during the second half at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images | Dale Zanine-Imagn Images
Kon Knueppel is just a rookie, but he’s already shooting 42.4% from deep on almost eight attempts a game and shattered Steph Curry’s rookie record for threes made. He is the rare sharpshooter who can also pass, dribble and create opportunities for teammates. He’s scored 28 points in both of his games against the Hawks while making 6+ threes in each one. They’ve been completely incapable of stopping him, so the plan has to change tonight if the Hawks want a better chance of winning this one. It might be worth assigning Nickeil Alexander-Walker onto him as the primary defender as he’s absolutely fried Dyson Daniels. Knueppel is averaging 24.9 points on 90 TS% in 27 possessions against Daniels this year.
The rebounding advantage Charlotte has is something the Hawks just aren’t going to be able to contend with. Moussa Diabate is a tireless force on the glass – he out-rebounded the entire Memphis Grizzlies lineup a week ago and the Hawks are a +8.1 with him on the court because of his aggressiveness on the boards. Since January 1st, they’re second only to the Rockets in rebounds per game. The Hawks have been 14th in that same time frame and there are occassional games when they’ve been able to survive or compete on the boards. However, this is an area where they’re going to have a hard time competing with Charlotte in.
Their defense has been the weaker side of the ball for them all season, but the Hornets are starting to find some rhythym on that end. Brandon Miller and Miles Bridges’ size makes a difference and Ryan Kalkbrenner has been a solid rim protector in his rookie season. Those factors contribute to Charlotte’s eight-game win streak being marked by excellent defense in several of those games. They’ve held five of those eight teams under 100 points and only let one team score over 120 points in that same span. This team shouldn’t be looked at as a complete pushover on that end.
Injury Report
Atlanta Hawks: Onyeka Okongwu and Jonathan Kuminga are out while Buddy Hield and Gabe Vincent are questionable.
Charlotte Hornets: Tidjaun Salaun is questionable while Malaki Branham and Coby White are out.
How to Watch
Here is how you can watch tonight’s game:
Tip-off time: 7:30 p.m. Eastern Time
Location: State Farm Arena, Atlanta, GA
Where to Watch: FanDuel Sports Network
Projected Starting Lineups
Hawks:
G – Nickeil Alexander-Walker
G – Dyson Daniels
F – Corey Kispert
F – Jalen Johnson
C – Christian Koloko
Hornets
G – LaMelo Ball
G – Kon Knueppel
F – Miles Bridges
F – Brandon Miller
C – Moussa Diabate
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