NBA Matchups: November 6

WAS @ ATL | BOS @ CHA | PHI @ CLE | OKC @ MEM | MIN @ NOP | TOR @ MIL | UTA @ DAL | POR @ LAL | SAS @ SAC

Hey, we’re back with a normal-sized slate (find a new slant)!

Washington Wizards (front end) at Atlanta Hawks (front end)

Team Totals: Wizards 110.5, Hawks 117.5

Injury Report: Reece Beekman (O, shoulder), Justin Champagnie (O, foot), Anthony Davis (Q, ankle), Tristan Vukcevic (O, hip), Jamir Watkins (O, ACL), Keshon Gilbert (O, knee), Mouhamed Gueye (O, foot), Jalen Johnson (Q, ankle), Jock Landale (O, hip), Asa Newell (O, toe), Henri Veesaar (O, ACL)

Wizards projected starters: Trae Young, Kyshawn George, AJ Dybantsa, Anthony Davis, Alex Sarr

Hawks projected starters: Kingston Flemings, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Dyson Daniels, Jalen Johnson, Onyeka Okongwu

Keefe quotes: Said the Hawks had a lot of pace against them on Wednesday and a tough start was too much to overcome, said Kyshawn has been terrific on both ends and “he’s had a great start to the season,” said they rebounded well lately and that hurt them a bit, said they adjusted to have a more physical defense, said they’re still trying to figure out the bench, said their strength is scoring in the paint and getting to the line is a priority to them, said they have been fine defending the paint.

Snyder quotes: Said Dyson impacts the game in so many ways and the rebounding was key, said Kingston was able to let the game come to him, said Trae is one of the best PNR handlers in the game and they need the whole defense to be ready for it again, said McCollum approached Flemings about the starting lineup, said Kispert shows his mental toughness to be in and out of the rotation, said Zuby fits their identity because of his toughness.

Stats and Notes:

*These teams just faced off on Wednesday, with the Hawks getting an easy 120-105 win in Washington. The pace of the game wasn’t quite so high despite the Hawks getting 19 fast-break points to the 15 from the Wizards. As expected, the Hawks are just getting punished in the paint, and the Wizards had 62 paint points on Wednesday. Quin Snyder just doesn’t have answers there, and the Wizards just want to get in the paint. The Hawks won the game because of a 19-6 advantage on 3-point makes (49-26 attempts). The Wizards seem pretty happy with this approach, but Trae Young did say they want to get more 3-pointers up.

*Anthony Davis crushed the Hawks early with a 26/10/3 line, and he didn’t even do anything in the fourth in nine minutes (0/0/0, 1 FGA). The Hawks were sending a bit more help, but I still believe that AD is in a huge spot here against a huge rim funnel. Besides the shot location stuff, ATL gets killed on post-ups, cuts, and roll-man scoring, and those are his top three play types. He is Q and tweaked his ankle in the first quarter, but he didn’t sub out and looked fine. Smash.

*Trae Young did get a heavy dose of Dyson Daniels, and he put up an 18/2/6 line in 34 minutes. He’s still had a massive handling role, ranking third in touch time, but he’s not driving it quite as much as the peak Trae days. He’ll likely see a good bit of Dyson again, which doesn’t make this a great spot for him.

*Kyshawn George is having another breakout with a 25/4/7 line. His usage has held up even with Trae and AD, and he gets a favorable matchup with likely Kingston Flemings or C.J. McCollum guarding him. If the Hawks can somehow limit AD and Trae is clamped by Dyson, it should filter through to George.

*AJ Dybantsa has been solid with usage, and Brian Keefe kept to his word, allowing him to grab-and-go on defensive rebounds. The pace of the game being slower may have had a negative impact, and he did get Nickeil Alexander-Walker both ways. There’s some ceiling, but a lot has to break right.

*Jalen Johnson’s ankle issue is looming here, and maybe he will miss another game. It’s been a tough start for Jalen Johnson, and his 26.8 eFG% on jumpers is by far the worst in the NBA among the 79 players with 50 attempts (Victor Wembanyama 33.0%). If he goes, it’s not the best matchup with the Wizards protecting the paint OK and not having great perimeter defensive options.

*Nickeil Alexander-Walker is heavily tied to Johnson’s availability. He’s smashed in the last two games with 26- and 34-point efforts. He’ll probably have Dybantsa on him again (or Kyshawn), and huge minutes/usage should be there either way. If Jalen’s out, he could go off again, and I like him even if JJ is in there.

*Onyeka Okongwu cleaned up the boards in the last game with a 14/16/4 line. He’s not getting many touches, and of course his projection is tied to Johnson as well. I’m not too into him anyway. 

*Dyson Daniels had Trae on him, and clearly that should help his offense. Dyson is dead last in the NBA in FG% above expectation, and he should have some better efficiency. He could have a big game with Trae having some turnover tendencies.

*The Hawks need some guys to get into the paint more, which may be why they started Kingston Flemings. Maybe they flip Flemings back to the bench when Jalen Johnson returns, and we’ll see later tonight. He had a tough matchup with Kyshawn George on him, and he was able to get into the paint a good bit with 15 drives. If he starts, he’s in play, but I wouldn’t expect him to repeat his 14-point scoring game.

Great matchups: Anthony Davis, Kyshawn George, Dyson Daniels, Nickeil Alexander-Walker

Good matchups: Trae Young

Bad matchups: Onyeka Okongwu (if Johnson in), Jalen Johnson

Boston Celtics at Charlotte Hornets