Washington Wizards vs Atlanta Hawks: Injury Report, Predicted Lineups and Starting 5s - November 1st, 2021 | NBA Season 2021-22
The Washington Wizards will look to continue their win streak when they visit the State Farm Arena to take on the Atlanta Hawks on Monday.
Bradley Beal and co. have gotten off to an impressive start in the 2021-22 NBA season. They have won five of their six games to sit in second place in the Eastern Conference. Meanwhile, the Atlanta Hawks are 3-3 through their first six games and are ninth in the East.
While Bradley Beal does his thing, Kyle Kuzma, Montrezl Harrell and Spencer Dinwiddie have been excellent for the Wizards so far. Kuzma is averaging 15.5 points and a team-high 11.8 rebounds per game.
Harrell is also averaging a double-double, tallying 19.3 points and 10.2 rebounds per game while shooting at an incredible 61.4% from the field. Meanwhile, Dinwiddie is scoring nearly 20 points per game on 40.7% shooting from beyond the arc.
The Wizards won their last game against the Boston Celtics in a double-overtime thriller, and have continued to impress this season.
The Wizards beat the Celtics in 2OT to move to 5-1 on the season, their best start in 16 years, since 2005-06. An assistant coach on that staff? Wes Unseld Jr.
Meanwhile, the Atlanta Hawks haven't been dominant to begin the season, struggling to continue their form in the 2021 NBA playoffs.
They have lost against the Cleveland Cavaliers, Washington Wizards and Philadelphia 76ers this campaign. They are struggling to shoot from beyond the arc as a team. They are ranked 28th in the league in three-pointers attempted and 29th in three-pointers made.
Trae Young has been averaging 22.3 points and 10.0 assists per game, but is shooting an abysmal 29% from beyond the arc. John Collins is contributing 16.0 points and 9.8 rebounds while shooting 63.8% from the field. Nevertheless, the Hawks will look to hold serve at home and snap their two-game losing streak.
Washington Wizards Injury Report
The Washington Wizards have a plethora of players on their injury report. Rui Hachimura is away from the team, with no timeline on his return.
Thomas Bryant is also out until further notice as he rehabilitates from his left ACL tear. He had surgery on his left knee in February, but is without a return date so far. Moreover, Cassius Winston and Anthony Gill are ruled out of this game due to left hamstring injury and right calf injury respectively.
Finally, Daniel Gafford has been upgraded to 'questionable' for this game. He didn't play the last game against the Celtics due to a contusion in his right quad.
This mirrors what Wes Unseld Jr. said Saturday about Gafford: The 23-year-old big man is progressing in his recovery from the contusion.
Atlanta Hawks Injury Report
The Atlanta Hawks have a clean injury report for this home game on Monday. Trae Young, Bogdan Bogdanovic, Lou Williams and Kevin Huerter were all listed questionable or probable earlier. But they have been upgraded to available now.
The only player on the Hawks' injury report is Onyeka Okongwu, who is out for at least a few more weeks due to surgery in his right shoulder. The team has said that the sophomore from USC is targeting a mid-December return.
Washington Wizards vs Atlanta Hawks: Predicted Lineups
Washington Wizards
Although the Washington Wizards have many players listed as injured, their starting lineup remains intact.
Coach Wes Unseld Jr. will likely retain his usual starting 5. Spencer Dinwiddie should start at point guard, with Bradley Beal starting at his usual shooting guard spot. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope now plays the small forward role with Kyle Kuzma starting as the power forward.
Finally, Montrezl Harrell will likely start at center again until Thomas Bryant returns from rehab. The team's main players off the bench are Raul Neto, Davis Bertans, Deni Avdija and Aaron Holiday.
Atlanta Hawks
The Atlanta Hawks feature no surprises in their injury report, and they could retain the lineup they deployed against the Washington Wizards.
Trae Young is the bonafide point guard, with sharpshooter Bogdan Bogdanovic sharing the backcourt with him as the off-guard. John Collins has excelled as the Hawks' power forward, while De'Andre Hunter could start as the small forward.
Finally, the team's center is expert rebounder, Clint Capella. Cam Reddish comes off the bench, but is the second-highest scorer in the team. Meanwhile, Lou Williams and Danilo Gallinari continue to lead the second unit off the bench.
Washington Wizards vs Atlanta Hawks: Predicted Starting 5s
Washington Wizards
G - Spencer Dinwiddie | G - Bradley Beal | F - Kentavious Caldwell-Pope | F - Kyle Kuzma | C - Montrezl Harrell.
Atlanta Hawks
G - Trae Young | G - Bogdan Bogdanovic | F - De'Andre Hunter | F - John Collins | C - Clint Capela.