Beating the same team in two straight games is never easy, but the Hawks handled it well and they started off NBA Cup play with a 1-0 record by beating the Wizards, 139-132. Their defense surprisingly struggled against a Washington team without Anthony Davis, but the offense made up for it.

Lu Dort, Onyeka Okongwu and Nickeil Alexander-Walker all went for 20+ points and Aaron Wiggins had another stellar game coming off the bench with 19 points. Importantly, Atlanta reversed the trend from their previous game against Washington and dominated the paint by a 62-50 margin. Kingston Flemings also chipped in a really nice defensive stint, perhaps best encapsulated by this stretch.

It's a good win from a Hawks team that has rebounded nicely from their blowout loss to the Pelicans and have won three straight. The path arguably gets easier against a Nets team that's 2-6 and sitting near the bottom of the conference yet again. However, the Hawks shouldn't underestimate this team as a pushover. There are some really intriguing players on Brooklyn's roster and they have enough talent to punish an off night.

Game Preview

Kingston vs Mikel

Kingston Flemings already faced the first overall pick from his own draft class and I'd argue he looked better than AJ Dybantsa in that game. AJ stuffed the stat sheet with 11 points, nine rebounds, three assists and four steals. I believe that he will be a good player long-term, but Flemings played great defense on Dybantsa and made a better impact on winning with his stellar defense, midrange proclivity and ability to make plays for others (six assists on two turnovers).

Flemings has already shown bankable skills as a midrange specialist, strong POA defender, screen navigator and smart passer. That's going to be fun to watch against fellow rookie guard Mikel Brown Jr because both of these players succeed in very different ways. Brown is the type of guard who can get downhill, hold up as a one-on-one defender and has range from almost anywhere on the court. Conversley, his passing leaves a bit to be desired on a play-to-play basis. He's got some high flashes, but also turnover issues that will hold him back. Flemings is much more careful in all aspects of his game. He doesn't have the sheer range of someone like Brown, but theoretically makes up for it with his ability to affect every possession in a positive way.

It'll be very fun to watch both of these players match up throughout their careers and tonight's game is the first taste of that.

Nothing But Net

On paper, the stats would say that the Hawks aren't anything special as a shooting team. They're 14th in three-point percentage and 20th in TS%. However, fans should consider that Atlanta's averaging the third-most makes from three-point range per game (15.5 makes per game) on the fourth-highest attempts. They're a high volume shooting team that will have their overall efficiency depressed due to the volume, but opponents shouldn't make the mistake of thinking this is a team that can't get hot at any time.

The best example of this is NAW. He's shooting 39.8% from deep, which is already a great number. However, it becomes even more impressive when considering that he's taking 10 threes a game. That's impressive volume from a player entering their second season as a starter and it's why Atlanta's offense is 7.3 points per 100 possessions better with him on the floor.

Furthermore, a critical component of their ability to shoot themselves back into games has been the play of Aaron Wiggins. Despite being the seventh man on a nightly basis, Wiggins is taking the second-most threes per game on the team and he averages the second-most makes per game. That's going to be critical for building an advantage against the Nets, who have the ninth-most attempts and the 11th-most makes, but also average the third-fewest points per game and have the fourth-worst offensive rating in the NBA. Brooklyn can occasionally get hot, but the inconsistency means that the Hawks are better poised to adjust to occasional cold stretches and claw their way back.

Battle Of The Boards

One area in which the Hawks have to be careful is their plan for guarding Brooklyn's starting forwards. Both Michael Porter Jr and Julius Randle are tough covers, but for different reasons. Porter Jr is a fantastic shooter who drags less mobile defenders onto the perimeter and creates space for his teammates. Randle is the epitome of a bully ball power forward who can dominate smaller defenders through his physicality.

This also shows up on the boards. Porter Jr is averaging 7.4 rebounds while Randle is averaging 7.1 per game. That combination is especially lethal on the defensive boards as possession enders, where they average a DREB% of 27% in their minutes. That's a 4% improvement on Brooklyn's baseline and they're already the second-best defensive rebounding team by DREB%. If the game gets close, Atlanta is really going to have to exert themselves on the offensive boards in order to combat this advantage.

Injury Report

Atlanta is on a back-to-back, so their injury report won't be released until later in the day. Brooklyn already ruled out Egor Demin, Ben Saraf and Grant Nelson.

Betting Lines (via FanDuel Sportsbook)

Spread: Nets +6.5 (-105), Hawks -6.5 (-115)

Moneyline: Nets +215, Hawks -260

Total points scored: 226.5 (over -114, under -106)

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.
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Projected Starters

Hawks

G - Kingston Flemings

G - Nickeil Alexander-Walker

G/F - Dyson Daniels

F - Jalen Johnson

C - Onyeka Okongwu

Nets

G - Nolan Traore

G - Chaney Johnson

F - Michael Porter Jr

F - Julius Randle

C - Day'Ron Sharpe