clock menu more-arrow no yes mobile

Filed under:

Preview: Hawks continue schedule gauntlet against Thunder

An old friend is in town.

NBA: Atlanta Hawks at Oklahoma City Thunder Rob Ferguson-USA TODAY Sports

UPDATE: Jeremy Lin (flu-like symptoms) is now doubtful for tonight’s game. Taurean Prince was upgraded from questionable to probable.


The Atlanta Hawks welcomed a familiar face to State Farm Arena on Sunday afternoon, as Milwaukee Bucks head coach Mike Budenholzer led his team to a road win. On Tuesday evening, the Hawks will be in a similar spot, taking on a superior team that features a long-time member of the organization in Oklahoma City Thunder point guard Dennis Schröder.

Schröder, like Budenholzer, left the organization over the summer, as he was dealt to Oklahoma City in a deal involving Carmelo Anthony and both financial and draft considerations. Prior to this season, Schröder spent his entire career in Atlanta and, since joining the Thunder, he has been a helpful piece for a playoff-bound team.

While much of the attention on this particular evening will be focused on Schröder and the interesting dynamics in play, there is an intriguing basketball game to monitor and the Hawks will be short-handed. In addition to Kent Bazemore and Miles Plumlee already being ruled out, Taurean Prince is listed as questionable with flu-like symptoms and Dewayne Dedmon is listed as doubtful with an ankle sprain. Beyond that, John Collins and Jeremy Lin appear on the injury report (both listed as probable) and Lloyd Pierce may be forced to be creative with his rotational deployment.

Tuesday’s game marks the finale of the season series between the two teams, with the Thunder picking up a 15-point home win over the Hawks in late November. Oklahoma City recently suffered a three-game losing streak but, in their last contest, the Thunder upended the scalding hot Spurs at home and OKC arrives as a 9-point favorite in Las Vegas.

Trae Young and Atlanta’s backcourt will have their hands full with Schröder and Russell Westbrook, while the team’s wings will be dealing with an All-NBA player in Paul George. Simply put, the Thunder have a (very) talented roster and an elite defense, and it will be interesting to see how the Hawks respond, even with the friendly confines of home.

Stay tuned throughout the day for all the latest.

Game Info

Game Date/Time: Tuesday, Jan. 15, 7:30 pm ET

Location: State Farm Arena

TV: Fox Sports Southeast

Radio: 92.9 The Game (Atlanta); Hawks Radio Network

Streaming: Fox Sports Go; NBA League Pass (out of market)