The Atlanta Hawks haven’t played like the team many envisioned to open up this season. They are coming off a 128-123 loss against the Chicago Bulls where they fought back to erase a 13-point deficit before falling short at the end. While their offense looked better, Atlanta’s issues with defending in transition and getting out-worked on the boards continued. They gave up 22 fastbreak points, 15 second-chance points and 62 rebounds compared to their own 42 rebounds.
Tonight’s game is an excellent opportunity to get back on track.
If there is any team that has lived up exactly to expectations, it is the Brooklyn Nets. They were projected to be firmly in the mix for the top of the 2026 NBA Draft lottery all offseason. Unsurprisingly, the Nets have the worst record in basketball (0-4). While it has been a small sample of games, it seems very clear that Brooklyn is not going to be playing meaningful basketball this year as they continue their rebuild.
A win over the Nets shouldn’t change the long-term ceiling of the Hawks, but it might be a nice confidence booster before heading to Indiana to start NBA Cup group play with the Indiana Pacers. There’s plenty of time left in the season, but the Hawks can’t afford to waste matchups in which they’re favored. They failed to show they were a better team than Chicago – it cannot happen again versus the Nets.
Oct 23, 2024; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Brooklyn Nets forward Ziaire Williams (1) and Atlanta Hawks forward Jalen Johnson (1) fight for a rebound during the first half at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images / Dale Zanine-Imagn Images
The Hawks’ offense is steadily taking steps forward. They’re 25th in points, 21st in FG%, 21st in 3P%, 18th in FT%, 28th in rebounds (21st in OREB), 10th in assists and 4th in turnovers per game. Despite the poor numbers, Atlanta just broke 120+ points during their game with Chicago against a very tough Bulls defense. Trae Young teams have also been a virtual lock for above-average offensive production throughout his career, so expect the Hawks to keep climbing up the offensive rankings.
Their transition defense and rim protection continue to hold them back on defense and the Bulls just torched them from deep. On a per-game basis, Atlanta ranks 20th in points allowed, 27th in FG% allowed, 7th in 3P% allowed, 27th in rebounds allowed, 23rd in steals and 18th in blocks. So far, the improvements they’ve theoretically made to the defense have not shone through.
Despite their record, the Nets are a thoroughly mediocre offense. They rank 21st in points, 19th in FG%, 14th in 3P%, 12th in FT%, 30th in rebounds (12th in OREB), 17th in assists and 13th in turnovers per game. Brooklyn has legitimate scoring options like Cam Thomas and Michael Porter Jr, but they sorely lack the high-level shotmaking or passing necessary for offensive consistency.
The defense has been the real struggle. While the Hawks’ defense has been bad, the Nets’ defense is catastrophic. They’re 30th in points allowed, 30th in FG% allowed, 30th in 3P% allowed, 10th in rebounds allowed, 26th in steals and 30th in blocks. They have no real perimeter defense to speak of and that’s led to opposing lineups getting whatever they want against Brooklyn’s defense.
Mar 16, 2025; Brooklyn, New York, USA; Brooklyn Nets guard Tyrese Martin (13) dribbles against Atlanta Hawks guard Dyson Daniels (5) during the first quarter at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images / Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images
As mentioned above, this is the softest defensive matchup the Hawks have faced thus far. It’s entirely possible that Brooklyn finishes the season as the worst defense in the league. Therefore, it’s of paramount importance that Trae Young and Dyson Daniels get going on offense against the Nets. Young was excellent as a facilitator in last night’s game, dishing out 17 dimes against only one turnover. He also had 21 points on 7-22 shooting. However, going 1-10 from deep threw too much cold water on Atlanta’s chances in this one. Daniels also had a rough game against Chicago. He only attempted eight shots and scored 2 points. While Daniels’ value doesn’t necessarily come from his offense, he has to give them more on that end of the floor. Fortunately, Brooklyn doesn’t have any organization on defense and shows even less cohesion in their transition defense than the Hawks do. Considering that both Young and Daniels have struggled on offense to start the year, this is a great opportunity to build some momentum.
On average, the Nets give up 55.5 points in the paint per game. That’s the 24th-best mark in the NBA, which leads a lot of room for another excellent performance from Atlanta’s center rotation. Kristaps Porzingis was excellent for Atlanta, scoring 27 points and hitting three of his six three-pointer attempts. Onyeka Okongwu had more of an all-around impact, putting up an 18 pt, 10 rebound double-double while hitting two threes. Both of those centers are absolutely capable of taking advantage of Nic Claxton, who hasn’t been the defender that his reputation suggests.
Surprisingly, the Nets aren’t very good on the fast break despite being such a young team. They’re 30th in fast break points per game, which might reduce the impact of the Hawks’ struggling transition defense. Conversely, Atlanta is 15th in the same metric and should be able to do enough in order to exploit Brooklyn’s weakness in transition defense. Jalen Johnson in particular has been a weapon in transition this year and the Nets don’t really have an answer for what he can do.
Apr 10, 2025; Brooklyn, New York, USA; Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young (11) controls the ball against the Brooklyn Nets during the third quarter at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images / Brad Penner-Imagn Images
While Brooklyn’s defense has been non-competitive, the offense has been surprisingly solid. They did enough to put 124 points up on the Cavaliers, largely due to both Cam Thomas and Michael Porter Jr scoring over 30 points. Both are players who can be difficult to stop once they’re on a heater, so the Hawks have to approach these matchups with caution. If Young is unable to pose much resistance to Thomas, Daniels need to be hounding him all night long in order to prevent him from taking over the game. Trusting Jalen Johnson with the MPJ assignment makes sense on paper, but it’s going to take a team effort to limit MPJ from getting hot behind the three-point line.
Trae Young is currently shooting a career-worst 36.4% from the field and 19.2% from deep. If his cold streak continues, it will be difficult for someone else to step up and take his production. The Nets know that Young is their biggest threat on offense and they are going to sell out in order to stop Young from improving his numbers tonight. It’s up to head coach Quin Snyder to scheme around that.
While he’s likely not capable of swinging the game by himself, the Nets are getting a promising rookie back for their game tonight. Egor Demin, who the Nets selected with the 8th overall pick, is currently averaging 8.7 points, 5.0 rebounds and 2.3 assists in 22 minutes per game off the bench. However, it doesn’t do justice to the staggering numbers that he’s putting up from deep. He’s shooting 50% from deep on five attempts a game. If he gets going, it’ll be hard for the Hawks to shut him down considering how their defense has played thus far. The combination of Demin getting hot and a great game from one or both of MPJ/Cam Thomas might be just enough for Brooklyn to steal a win.
Atlanta Hawks:Â Jalen Johnson and Zaccharie Risacher are both probable for tonight’s game.
Brooklyn Nets:Â Ziare Williams is questionable and Haywood Highsmith is out.
Here is how you can watch tonight’s game:
Tip-off time: 7:30 p.m. Eastern Time
Location: Barclays Center, Brooklyn, NY
Where to Watch: FanDuel Sports Network
Spread and Over/Under: The Hawks will be favored on the road tonight, as the Nets are currently 7.5 point favorites according to the latest odds from the Fanduel Sportsbook, and the over/under is set at 238.5.
Hawks
G – Trae Young
G – Dyson Daniels
F – Zaccharie Risacher
F – Jalen Johnson
C – Kristaps Porzingis
Nets
G – Ben Saraf
G – Cam Thomas
F – Terence Mann
F – Michael Porter Jr
C – Nic Claxton
Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem and wants help, call 1-800-GAMBLER.