Atlanta Hawks Game Preview: 1st Meeting with New Look Clips

Previewing the Hawks’ Saturday Matchup with the Clippers.

The Atlanta Hawks will end their current road trip with back-to-back match ups in the Staples Center.

First up are the Los Angeles Clippers, who will have Paul George for just the 2nd time this season.

The Hawks will enter with a record of 4-7, wining just one of their last five. Meanwhile, the Clips carry a 7-5 record, which is a bit disappointing for a team expected to be near the top of the standings all year.

Both teams are struggling offensively, with the Hawks’ 107 points per game ranking 23rd in the league, while the Clippers sit at 13th with 111.6, again low for their preseason standards.

As mentioned earlier the home team will be getting back their other star forward to go along with the ever dangerous Kawhi Leonard. PG-13 needed just 24 minutes to score 33 in their loss to New Orleans the other night.

The Hawks meanwhile will still be without Kevin Huerter, who is now expected to miss 203 weeks with a shoulder injury.

Cam Reddish will likely  get the starting shoot guard gig, but we could see Lloyd Pierce mix in Allen Crabbe a bit more as well.

Vince Carter, Evan Turner and Chandler Parsons have all been ruled out as well, meaning the Hawks will be fairly short handed Saturday night.

The Clips roster a variety of known defensive stoppers, and putting the ball in the bucket could be a night-long challenge for Atlanta.

The exception is Patrick Patterson, whose lack of lateral quickness could lead to Jabari Parker having a big night against the fellow power forward.

A winning formula would see Trae Young hitting his shot early, and being able to dish out to the big men the rest of the night.

The Hawks have beaten teams better than them on paper multiple times already this year, and they’ll be looking to do the same in L.A.

Make sure to come right back here for the recap tomorrow night.