Match preview, injury report and predicted starting lineups for tonight’s Summer League match

The Atlanta Hawks are back in action tonight in Las Vegas to take on the San Antonio Spurs. Atlanta lost to the Wizards on Friday night, but despite that loss, there were plenty of encouraging things to come out of that game.

Tonight’s opponent is the San Antonio Spurs. The Hawks and Spurs are two teams that have been linked in recent seasons due to trades. Tonight, two of the top picks in the 2024 NBA Draft will face off for the first time. First-round pick Zaccharie Risacher scored 18 points on Friday night and fourth-round pick Stephon Castle scored 22 points last night. Risacher and Castle are going to be two of the most intriguing rookies of the year and tonight, they face off.

Let’s take a look at tonight’s game.

Game Overview

All eyes were on Risacher on Friday night and he didn’t disappoint. He had a very strong Summer League debut, scoring 18 points and showing a wide range of skills that made him the top pick. For tonight, I expect Risacher to be more effective on offense and improve his off-ball defense.

Nikola Djurisic started at point guard and had flashes of passing ability, but his shooting and free throws weren’t great. Like Risacher (and really the rest of the Hawks), I want to see Djurisic take better shots.

Mouhamed Gueye had a solid first game for Atlanta on Friday, scoring 17 points, grabbing four rebounds and making three steals. Gueye is looking to make a real contribution to the Hawks’ roster this season and his potential was on display Friday night. He needs to work on avoiding foul trouble, but Gueye played physical, especially on defense.

Other players to watch for the Hawks tonight include Keaton Wallace (who was just re-signed to a two-way contract), Jarkel Joiner, EJ Liddell, Miles Norris, Dylan Windler and Rob Baker. Wallace showed great on-ball defense and versatility Friday night, which is why he was given a two-way contract. Liddell had some moments in the second half and I’m curious to see if he gets more minutes tonight.

Overall, I want to see if the Hawks’ offense is better than Friday. The Hawks’ defense was solid last game, but the offense struggled for most of the night. Windler was the only player shooting well from three-point range and the Hawks are going to need better outside shooting if they want to get their first win tonight.

Injury Report

Hawks guard Kobe Bufkin has a shoulder injury and is out of Summer League.

Expected starting lineups

The hawks:

G- Nikola Djurisic

G-Zaccharie Risacher

F-Dylan Windler

F- Mouhamed Gueye

C-Rob Baker

Spurs:

G- Stephon Castle

G- Jamaree Bouyea

F-Harrison Ingram

F-Sidy Cissoko

C-Nathan Mensah