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The Atlanta Hawks open their season at the Charlotte Hornets on Wednesday, Oct. 25, with the game tipping off at 7 p.m. ET. Atlanta will be favored despite being on the road. It will be a star-studded matchup between Trae Young and LaMelo Ball, who is returning from injury.
The Hawks will be without Wes Matthews, as the guard will miss the season opener with a right calf strain. It is a minor injury, and he should not be out for an extended time.
On the other side of the bench, the Hornets welcome back Ball after he missed a lengthy amount of time last season. However, they will be without some depth in the opener as they have several names on the injury report to start the season.
Charlotte will be missing James Bouknight, who is recovering from knee surgery. The team's guard depth took a further hit with Frank Ntilikina out with a tibia fracture. Cody Martin is also out with knee soreness. Charlotte will also be without role players Edmond Sumner and Bryce McGowens.
The Hornets will also be missing their star forward, Miles Bridges. He is continuing to serve his suspension following his domestic violence arrest. Bridges will miss the first ten games of the season.
Atlanta Hawks vs. Charlotte Hornets game preview
The Atlanta Hawks will be visiting the Charlotte Hornets for each team’s season opener. All eyes will be on LaMelo Ball as he returns to the starting lineup for Charlotte. Trae Young will try and spoil his return.
The Hornets fans will also be keen to see their new franchise cornerstone, Brandon Miller. The Alabama guard was the team’s No. 2 overall pick in the draft and should get plenty of opportunities in his first NBA regular season game.
It should be a high-scoring affair. The Hornets averaged 111.0 points per game last season. The Hawks have Young and Dejounte Murray to spearhead their high-scoring attack. The total is 236.
The Atlanta Hawks and Hornets are also two of the league’s worst defensive teams. Atlanta was 22nd in defensive rating. Charlotte was 20th.
Neither team made any big additions this summer to bolster their defense. The Hornets are also still a young team, and young teams usually struggle on the defensive end.
Guess the Lakers players!
