Hawks vs Bulls: Starting lineups

The Atlanta Hawks and Chicago Bulls are getting ready to tip tonight’s game, and both teams have just announced their starting lineups.

G- Trae Young

G – Dyson Daniels

F – Zaccharie Risacher

F – Jalen Johnson

C – Clint Capela

G- Dalen Terry

G- Coby White

F- Zach LaVine

F- Patrick Williams

C- Nikola Vucevic

Our own Rohan Raman gave an in-depth preview of the game earlier today:

“Coming into tonight’s game, the Hawks are 8th in the NBA in PPG, 16th in FG%, 23rd in 3PA, 18th in 3P%, 2nd in FTA, 28th in turnovers and 4th in rebounding. Cleaning the glassAtlanta is 17th in points per game. 100 possessions, 21st in effective field goal percentage, 22nd in turnover percentage, 7th in offensive rebound percentage and 8th in free throw rate.

Currently, the Hawks are 27th in PPG allowed, 18th in field goal percentage allowed, 30th in three-point attempts allowed and 29th in three-point percentage allowed. Per Cleaning the Glass, Atlanta ranks 16th in points allowed per game. 100 possessions and ranked 26th in effective field goal percentage allowed.

Chicago has a pretty potent offense that lives and dies by the three ball. The Bulls are 7th in PPG, 11th in FG%, 2nd in three point attempts, 13th in 3P%, 29th in free throw attempts, 12th in rebounding and 17th in turnovers. Per Cleaning the Glass, Chicago is 15th in points per game. 100 possessions, 10th in effective field goal percentage, 14th in turnover percentage, 28th in offensive rebound percentage and 21st in free throw rate.

Defensively, Chicago struggles to defend almost everything except three-pointers. The Bulls rank 29th in PPG allowed, 26th in FG%, 26th in three point attempts allowed, and 3rd in three point percentage allowed. Per Cleaning the Glass, Minnesota is no. 23 in points allowed per 100 possessions and 19th in effective field goal percentage.

I think it could be a game where Young doesn’t play to rest him. If Young is ruled out, there is a discussion to be had between Vit Krejci and Keaton Wallace for the starting point guard position. Krejci was great for Atlanta last year, but hasn’t been as effective in 2024-25. In his last start, he played just 17 minutes and scored two points. Wallace played more minutes than Krejci and dished out four assists to go along with five points during his final overtime appearance. It’s certainly not a lock that Krejci gets another starting nod, and Wallace has played good defense in that spot as well. If Young sits, head coach Quin Snyder has an interesting decision to make here.

Look for a fair game from Clint Capela against a team he has done well against. He averaged 20 points and 10 rebounds against the Bulls this season and is coming off a quiet four-point, eight-rebound performance against Minnesota. A matchup against Vucevic, who has remarkable defensive struggles, could be exactly what he needs to get back on track. His rim protection should act as a deterrent against Zach LaVine’s rim pressure. Additionally, Dyson Daniels had a career night against Minnesota with eight steals. Can he get an extra appearance against Ayo Dosomnu and Coby White? He has had success against Chicago’s young backcourt this year (averaging 5 steals against the Bulls) and it will be crucial for him to have a similar performance tonight. If his three-point shooting lines up consistently, that would also be huge for a Hawks team that could be missing one of its best shooters in Bogdanovic.

In the absence of Bogdanovic, it will be crucial for Zaccharie Risacher and Garrison Mathews to shoulder some of the shooting load from deep. Risacher’s offense has been up-and-down throughout the year, and he struggled against a tough Timberwolves defense. They held him to five points on 2-5 shooting. That can’t continue against an exploitable Bulls defense. Risacher’s defense on LaVine and Williams will also be important, but this is a good opportunity for him to find some success with his shooting. Mathews hit just seven threes against the Timberwolves after playing a limited role for most of the year. If this is a sign that “Garry Bird” is back, this would be an excellent game to see”

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