Hawks vs Bulls: Starting Lineups

The Atlanta Hawks and Chicago Bulls are preparing to announce tonight’s game, and both teams have just announced their starting lineups.

G Trae Young

G – Dyson Daniels

F – Zacharie Risacher

F – Jalen Johnson

C-Clint Capela

G-Dalen Terry

G-Coby White

F- Zach LaVine

F-Patrick Williams

C- Nikola Vucevic

Our own Rohan Raman gave a detailed preview of the game earlier today:

“Going into today’s game, the Hawks rank 8th in the NBA in PPG, 16th in FG%, 23rd in 3PA, 18th in 3P%, 2nd in FTA, 28th in Turnovers and 4th in rebounding. By Cleaning the glassAtlanta ranks 17th in points per 100 possessions, 21st in effective field goal percentage, 22nd in turnover percentage, 7th in offensive rebound percentage and 8th . place in terms of free throw rate.

Currently, the Hawks rank 27th in PPG allowed, 18th in field goals allowed, 30th in three-point attempts allowed and 29th in three-point percentage allowed. According to Cleaning the Glass, Atlanta ranks 16th in points allowed per 100 possessions and 26th in effective field goal percentage allowed.

Chicago has a pretty strong offense that lives and dies by the three-ball. The Bulls are 7th in PPG, 11th in FG%, 2nd in three-point attempts, 13th in 3P%, 29th in free throw attempts, 12th in rebounds and 17th in turnovers. According to Cleaning the Glass, Chicago ranks 15th in points per 100 possessions, 10th in effective field goal percentage, 14th in turnover percentage, 28th in offensive rebounding percentage and 21st in free throw percentage.

Defensively, Chicago has difficulty defending almost anything except three-point shots. The Bulls rank 29th in PPG allowed, 26th in FG percentage allowed, 26th in three-point attempts allowed and 3rd in three-point percentage allowed. According to Cleaning the Glass, Minnesota ranks 23rd in points allowed per 100 possessions and 19th in effective field goal percentage.

I think this could be a game where Young doesn’t play to rest him. If Young is out, there will be a discussion between Vit Krejci and Keaton Wallace for the starting point guard spot. Krejci was fantastic for Atlanta last year but wasn’t as effective in 2024-25. In his last start, he played just 17 minutes and scored two points. Wallace played more minutes than Krejci and had four assists and five points in his last appearance with extended playing time. It’s certainly not a given that Krejci will be in the starting lineup again, and Wallace also played good defense in that spot. If Young sits, head coach Quin Snyder has an interesting decision to make here.

Look for a good game from Clint Capela against a team he did well against. He’s averaging 20 points and 10 rebounds against the Bulls this season and put together a quiet four-point, eight-rebound performance against Minnesota. A match against Vucevic, who has significant defensive issues, could be just what he needs to get back on track. His rim protection needs to be a big deterrent against Zach LaVine’s rim pressure. Additionally, Dyson Daniels had a career night with eight steals against Minnesota. Can he do an encore against Ayo Dosomnu and Coby White? He’s had success against Chicago’s young backcourt this year (averaging 5 steals against the Bulls) and it will be crucial for him to produce a similar performance tonight. If his three-point shot hits consistently, that would also be huge for a Hawks team that could be missing one of its best shooters in Bogdanovic.

In Bogdanovic’s absence, it will be crucial for Zaccharie Risacher and Garrison Mathews to shoulder some of the shooting burden from distance. Risacher’s offense was up and down all year and he struggled against a stout Timberwolves defense. They held him to five points on 2-5 shooting. This can’t continue against an exploitable Bulls defense. Risacher’s defense against LaVine and Williams will also be important, but this is a good opportunity for him to get some success with his shooting. Mathews made just seven three-pointers against the Timberwolves after playing a limited role for most of the year. If this is a sign that Garry Bird is back, it would be an excellent game to see.”

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Atlanta’s defense smothers Minnesota in the 4th quarter for a 117-104 victory, ending their three-game losing streak