Forecasts of spreads and final results

Two of the NBA’s most injured teams will face each other tonight in New Orleans. The Hawks are on a three-game losing streak heading into tonight’s game against the Pelicans and could really use a win before Monday’s matchup with the Celtics.

The Hawks offense hasn’t been a huge problem this season, but it hasn’t been elite either. The defense has suffered greatly with injuries, but it could help if Daniels returns tonight and faces his former team.

Heading into today’s game, the Hawks rank 11th in the NBA in PPG, 15th in FG%, 14th in 3PA, 17th in 3P%, 2nd in FTA, 20th in rebounds and 19th in turnovers . For Glass cleaningAtlanta ranks 16th in points per 100 possessions, 13th in effective field goal percentage, 19th in turnover percentage, 18th in offensive rebounding percentage and 3rd in free throw rate.

Atlanta ranks 28th in PPG allowed, 16th in field goal percentage allowed, 27th in 3PA allowed and 30th in 3P% allowed. According to Cleaning the Glass, the Hawks rank 26th in points per 100 possessions and 25th in effective field goal percentage.

The stats, whether advanced or not, are not the best for New Orleans so far this season. New Orleans ranks 24th in points per game, 19th in field goal percentage, 27th in three-point field goals, 15th in three-point percentage, 18th in free throw percentage, 15th in in rebounds and 13th in turnovers. According to Cleaning the Glass, the Pelicans rank 23rd in points per 100 possessions, 24th in effective field goal percentage, 16th in turnover percentage, 11th in offensive rebound percentage and 21st in free throw rate .

Defensively, New Orleans ranks 16th in PPG allowed, 21st in field goal percentage allowed, 15th in three-point shooting percentage allowed, and 25th in three-point shooting percentage allowed. According to the rankings, New Orleans ranks 16th in points scored per 100 possessions and 20th in effective field goal percentage.

Trae Young has had to carry a lot of the load for the Hawks in the last two games because they’ve been shorthanded, and even if Daniels returns tonight, things may not change. Young had 25 points on 8-21 shooting and 12 offensive assists. With Jones and Murphy gone to New Orleans, Young would have an easier time playing attackingly if he wasn’t guarded by top wing backs.

Daniels’ return would be huge from a defensive standpoint, but he also has additional ball handling skills and has performed well on the pitch. Follow his condition today.

No. 1 pick Zaccharie Risacher hasn’t been easy in terms of shooting, but he has contributed to the Hawks in other ways. But to be most effective, the Hawks need Risacher to be a real threat shooting the ball, and he was 1-9 in nearly 20 minutes last night.

Jalen Johnson performed well heading into Friday’s game against the Kings, but he had a rough night offensively. He finished with 14 points, nine assists and five rebounds while shooting 4-10 from the field.

Both Clint Capela and Onyeka Okongwu will be performing in Atlanta tonight and could have big nights. The Pelicans’ center rotation consists of rookie Yves Missi and Daniels Theis, but Missi is playing well. Still, Capela and Okongwu are veterans and have the edge in this game.

The Hawks bench is playing well, especially Garrison Matthews and Keaton Wallace. Matthews scored 23 points and made seven three-pointers against the Kings to help the Hawks stay in the game. Wallace has performed very well in the last two games on both ends of the pitch and will earn more minutes going forward.

According toFanduel SportsbookNew Orleans is a 4.5-point favorite tonight with a total of 229 points.

I think the Hawks will be desperate to win this game. They have lost four in a row, and tomorrow they have a game against the Celtics and they will be definitely weaker in it. If Daniels plays, he could give the Hawks the boost they need to win the game. I think the Hawks will have a big advantage in midfield which could allow them to gain additional possessions. The duo of Trae Young and Jalen Johnson defeats Brandon Ingram and Zion Williamson and Atlanta wins.

Final: Hawks 116, Pelicans 113