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The high-flying Atlanta Hawks will host the OKC Thunder at the State Farm Arena before heading into an eight-game road trip. The Hawks enter this matchup on the back of six straight wins while the Thunder have slowed down a bit recently.
Match Details
Fixture: OKC Thunder vs Atlanta Hawks | NBA Season 2020-21
Date & Time: Thursday, March 18th, 7:30 PM ET (Friday, 5 AM IST)
Venue: State Farm Arena, Atlanta, GA
OKC Thunder Preview
Despite largely featuring a rotation that wouldn't be out of place in the G-League, the OKC Thunder are 2-2 in their first four games since the All-Star break. Head coach Mark Daigneault has decided to give extended minutes to youngsters with the likes of Al Horford and Mike Muscala taking a step back.
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Sophomore Moses Brown has been an interesting find for OKC Thunder. The 7'2 center dominated in the G-League bubble and had a 20-point, 16-rebound game against Chicago on Tuesday. He's averaged 12.5 points and 10.3 rebounds through his last four appearances.
The youngest player in the NBA currently, Aleksej Pokusevski is also showing some potential after a torrid start to this season. He had 23 points and 10 rebounds in OKC Thunder's win against Memphis last week.
Luguentz Dort and Darius Bazley both had a good outing against the Atlanta Hawks last time around but are expected to miss this tie.
Key Player - Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
There are very few people in the NBA right now whose finishing at the rim is as good as Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's. The shifty guard uses his start-stop movements and quick bursts to swivel past defenders. Averaging 23.6 points, 4.8 rebounds and six assists per game this season, he's the main reason why the OKC Thunder are too good to tank. Gilgeous-Alexander had 24 points against the Atlanta Hawks in the previous matchup.
OKC Thunder Predicted Lineup
G Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, G Theo Maledon, F Aleksej Pokusevski, F Isaiah Roby, C Al Horford
Atlanta Hawks Preview
The Atlanta Hawks have made the most of a favorable run of fixtures in the schedule to return to a .500 record. They're yet to lose a game under interim head coach Nate McMillan but that could change during their eight-game trip down the west coast.
The Atlanta Hawks are still missing key players, especially in the frontcourt. Centers Clint Capela and Onyeka Okongwu could both miss the matchup against OKC Thunder. Two-way forward Nathan Knight may have to slot in as the stretch five again.
Danilo Gallinari has improved significantly in the last few weeks and is finally justifying his huge contract. He scored 29 points on 10-of-14 shooting in Atlanta Hawks' last matchup against the Houston Rockets. Gallo's averaging 21.4 points on 53.8% shooting in the last five games.
Key Player - Trae Young
Compared to his Atlanta Hawks teammates, Trae Young has actually taken a step back in the last few games in terms of efficiency. He's still averaging 26 points and 9.4 assists per game this season. Young only managed 17 points in the last matchup against the OKC Thunder as Lu Dort put the clamps on him. But he'll be looking to maximize his output this time with Dort likely to sit out.
Atlanta Hawks Predicted Lineup
G Trae Young, G Kevin Huerter, F Tony Snell, F John Collins, C Danilo Gallinari
Thunder vs Hawks Match Prediction
Even though the OKC Thunder have been a fairly unpredictable team this season, there's been a clear developmental shift since the All-Star break. And even though the young guys generally try harder in games, they do not necessarily play winning basketball. Meanwhile, things are finally starting to click for the Atlanta Hawks. Their defending and three-point shooting has been up to the mark in the last two weeks. Expect Trae Young and co. to dominate this tie.
Where to watch Thunder vs Hawks?
Local coverage of this game will be available on FOX Sports Oklahoma and FOX Sports Southeast. You can also live stream the same on NBA League Pass.
