feature-image

USA Today via Reuters

feature-image

USA Today via Reuters

The Atlanta Hawks and the Dallas Mavericks will have a showdown at the State Farm Arena tonight. The two teams are facing each other for the first time this season. Each team will attempt to turn the odds in their favor as both are on a three-game losing streak. Unfortunately for the Hawks, their injury list is long. Their star point guard Trae Young has also been added to the list.

Watch What’s Trending Now!

The last game Trae played was on Saturday against the Cleveland Cavaliers, resulting in a brutal 116-95 loss. As Luka Doncic gears up to face rival Trae tonight, he might be up for a disappointment as Trae could potentially miss the game.

ADVERTISEMENT

Trae Young might not play tonight

Atlanta has listed Young as questionable on their injury list due to a concussion. Considering this, and the NBA’s strict concussion protocols, he will most likely sit out tonight. He suffered a concussion on Saturday during the fourth quarter and headed to the locker room. Trae has since missed the next two games leading up to tonight. According to NBA Insider Adrian Wojnarowski, the 25-year-old PG is yet to clear the concussion protocol.

ADVERTISEMENT

Moreover, De’Andre Hunter (knee) is out and Clint Capela (left calf contusion) is on a day-to-day. So, the names to expect on the starting lineup tonight are Bogdan Bogdanovich, Dejounte Murray, Saddiq Bey, Jalen Johnson, and Onyeka Okongwu. In the absence of their star guard, Atlanta’s play remains patchy on both ends. The team desperately attempts to turn things around and win some games, but Trae’s injury is a huge drawback. Despite this, Trae has been having a great season.

ADVERTISEMENT

Amidst poor team performance, Trae has been putting good numbers

Trae Young has played 39 of the Hawks’ 44 games so far and leads the team in points, assists, and steals, with averages of 2.9, 10.8, and 1.4 respectively. He is also second in leading the league in assists this season. Without him, the Hawks will probably need to put in extra effort tonight to break their losing streak.

Read More: Trae Young Gets Brutally Honest About Being Compared to Luka Doncic: “There’s Been Worse Comparisons”

ADVERTISEMENT

After Ice Trae’s head injury on Saturday, the Hawks initially declared that he would be sidelined indefinitely. However, changing that to ‘questionable’ recently could be a positive sign of his return. Fortunately for the team, considering that he has already taken a week off, his comeback doesn’t look too far away. The 18-26 Hawks just need to hold the fort down until his return.

Watch This Story: “Newark local Austin Reaves gets brutally honest about Los Angeles lifestyle”

ADVERTISEMENT

Do you think the Hawks can pull off a miracle win tonight against Doncic and Co.? Let us know in the comments below!

Share this with a friend:

Link Copied!

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

Written by

author-image

Tsuktibenla T Jamir

395 Articles

Tsuktibenla is an NBA Writer at EssentiallySports, whose love affair with basketball began at the age of 16, sparking a passion that has kept her actively playing ever since. Representing her school and college in various tournaments, she earned the title of MVP in several instances despite contending with multiple injuries. A graduate in English Literature, she pursued a Master's in Journalism to solidify her place in sports journalism. At the ES Desk, she is responsible for analyzing predictive lineups, injury reports, and breaking down player performances intricately. Despite her inclination towards a low-key lifestyle and the comfort of solitude, Tsuktibenla occasionally engages in NBA 2K or EA FIFA sessions with friends.

Know more

Edited by

editor-image

Bilal Handoo

ADVERTISEMENT