It is win or go home tomorrow night in Atlanta when the Hawks host the Miami Heat. After losing on Tuesday to the Orlando Magic, Atlanta is back at home and will face their Southeast Division rival with the winner clinching the final spot in the Eastern Conference playoff against the Cleveland Cavaliers. Ahead of the game tomorrow night, the Hawks have released their injury report and there are no surprises on it.
Trae Young (right Achilles tendinitis) is probable while Clint Capela and Larry Nance Jr remain out. It is the same injury report for the Hawks as it usually is.
This is going to be the fifth matchup of the season between the Hawks and the Heat. Three of the four matchups have taken place since the Heat made the move to trade Jimmy Butler and the Heat are 2-1 in those games. Will tomorrow’s game be any different?
When the Hawks were fully healthy with Jalen Johnson, Larry Nance, and Clint Capela, their defense, while not elite, was pretty good. Without these guys, it has been tough for the Hawks to defend. While the Hawks did have arguably their best defensive performance vs this Heat team on February 24th, holding Miami to 86 points and 17.5% from three. The last two matchups are a completely different story.
Just two days after holding the Heat to 86 points, Miami scored 131 points and shot 55% from three. The third quarter of that game saw the Heat score 42 points and pull away from the Hawks. In their most recent matchup on March 27th, Miami scored 122 points and shot 55% from three, with Tyler Herro scoring 36 points.
One thing about the most recent matchup was that the Hawks started Vit Krejci in place of Mouhamed Gueye, who ended up not playing in the game. I don’t expect that to happen again, as Gueye has been a pretty solid defender for the Hawks.
Miami is not one of the better offensive teams in the NBA, but they showed in the final two games against the Hawks and in last night’s game vs the Bulls, they can take advantage of poor defense. Atlanta has to be better on that end or their season will be over.
Shutting down Tyler Herro does not guarantee a Hawks win, but it would help. Last night against Chicago, Herro scored 38 points and he has had a fantastic season. In the Hawks victory over Miami on February 24th, Herro was 4-19 from the field and 0-9 from three, scoring 11 points. It is no secret that Dyson Daniels is going to be guarding Herro on Friday night and he and the rest of the Hawks defense will need to limit his effectiveness.
Apr 16, 2025; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Miami Heat guard Tyler Herro (14) and head coach Erik Spoelstra ask for a replay against the Chicago Bulls during the second half at United Center. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-Imagn Images / David Banks-Imagn Images
On Tuesday night vs Orlando, the Hawks supporting cast could not have been any worse.
Zacccharie Risacher was 2-10 from the field and scored seven points. Onyeka Okongwu had 11 points and nine rebounds, and Dyson Daniels scored seven points. Caris LeVert had seven points on 3-11 shooting. Georges Niang had 15 points, and Dominick Barlow, Terance Mann, and Vit Krejci combined for eight points. The Orlando bench outscored the Hawks’ bench 57-30.
How does the rotation look tomorrow? If not for foul trouble for Onyeka Okongwu, Barlow likely does not play and I don’t think Snyder wanted to play Krejci. Will it just be LeVert, Niang, and Mann tomorrow night? Those three guys, plus Risacher, have to have better games. Atlanta must also limit Miami’s role players. Duncan Robinson, Davion Mitchell, and Haywood Highsmith have had impact games against Atlanta this year and those are going to be the main guys Atlanta will see tomorrow along with the Heat’s regular starters.
Related Links
Trae Young Gives Brutally Honest Statement About His Ejection vs Orlando
2025 NBA Season Grades: ESPN Expert Gives Atlanta An Impressive Mark For Their Season
2025 NBA Playoffs: Three Thoughts On Tomorrow’s Hawks-Heat Elimination Game
