Jalen Johnson’s status for today’s game against Denver revealed

The Atlanta Hawks are hoping to pick up their seventh straight win tonight against the Denver Nuggets, but a key aspect of this game was the health of Jalen Johnson, who was questionable entering today’s game. The Hawks just announced his status for tonight’s game. Johnson will be out tonight, as will Bogdan Bogdanovic. Trae Young and De’Andre Hunter are available.

Heading into today’s game, the Hawks rank 8th in the NBA in PPG, 12th in FG%, 20th in 3PA, 21st in 3P%, 6th in FTA, 25th in Turnovers and the 5th in rebounding. According to Cleaning the Glass, Atlanta ranks 15th in points per 100 possessions, 18th in effective field goal percentage, 21st in turnover percentage, 7th in offensive rebounding percentage and 11th in free throw percentage.

Currently, the Hawks rank 28th in PPG allowed, 14th in field goals allowed, 30th in three-point attempts allowed and 30th in three-point percentage allowed. According to Cleaning the Glass, Atlanta ranks 14th in points allowed per 100 possessions and 24th in effective field goal percentage allowed. The Hawks’ defense played a key role during this winning streak, but they had a poor defensive performance against the Lakers on Friday night. Can they find a way to slow Jokic down tonight?

Trae Young continues to be one of the best playmakers in the league, posting his second 20-assist game of the season. His shooting hasn’t been great this season, but he scored 31 points against the Lakers on Friday and the Nuggets’ defense hasn’t been very good this season.

Dyson Daniels had a tough offensive game against the Lakers on Friday, but he came alive at the end, hitting a crucial three-pointer, a floater, and having a big steal while guarding LeBron. If Murray plays tonight, Daniels will likely get that assignment.

Zaccharie Risacher continues to play well in defense and has been shooting better in recent games. He had 11 points on 5-11 shooting Friday and was able to get past LeBron in time when it looked like he had an easy basket. Risacher improves with every start.

Clint Capela and Onyeka Okongwu will have their hands full with Jokic tonight. There’s no way to slow down the three-time MVP, but Capela has been a good defender and rebounder this year, two key factors when facing Jokic. Okongwu was the better offensive center, but Capela’s skills will be huge against the Nuggets tonight.

The Hawks have a huge advantage over Denver when it comes to their bench. De’Andre Hunter has been incredible this season, scoring 26 points against the Lakers. Bogdan Bogdanovic had 20 points and Okongwu had 15. Last game Quin Snyder opted to go with Vit Krejci for the backup point guard spot over Kobe Bufkin, so that’s something to keep an eye on tonight, though With Bogdanovic out, both could see minutes.

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