The Wizards and Hawks play the second half of their home-and-home series Friday, with Atlanta coming off a 120-105 win over Washington two days earlier. The NBA Cup rematch is the second Group Play contest for Washington in the tournament and follows a Wednesday meeting the Hawks won behind balanced scoring.
Atlanta enters at 5-4 and has won two straight, while Washington sits at 4-4 after dropping Wednesday’s opener. The Hawks lead the season series 1-0 heading into the rematch.
Wizards Vs Hawks Game Information
- Date: Friday, Nov. 6
- Time: 7 p.m. ET
- Venue: State Farm Arena, Atlanta, GA
- TV: MNMT
- Stage: NBA Cup, Group Play
Anthony Davis Is Out, Leaving A Gap For Washington
Anthony Davis is officially out with a right ankle sprain, according to the league’s injury report. Davis had led the Wizards in scoring at 23.4 points per game and in rebounding at 9.2 per game this season, numbers that reflected his role as Washington’s top scorer and interior defensive anchor alongside former No. 2 overall pick Alex Sarr. His absence leaves Washington further shorthanded, with Reece Beekman, Tristan Vukcevic, Justin Champagnie and Jamir Watkins already ruled out. With Davis sidelined, Trae Young becomes Washington’s top scoring option, averaging 19.6 points and 9.5 assists per game this season.
Jalen Johnson Also Ruled Out For Atlanta
Atlanta will also be without Jalen Johnson, who is officially out with a left ankle issue. Johnson had led the Hawks in both rebounding (9.0 per game) and assists (7.9 per game) this season. Keshon Gilbert, Asa Newell, Jock Landale and Mouhamed Gueye are also out for Atlanta, leaving coach Quin Snyder to lean further on his perimeter scorers. With Johnson out, Onyeka Okongwu becomes Atlanta’s top rebounder on the official season leaderboard at 8.4 per game, and Dyson Daniels leads the Hawks in assists at 4.7 per game.
Nickeil Alexander-Walker leads Atlanta in scoring at 21.7 points per game this season and has shown recent volatility, scoring 34 points with nine 3-pointers against Indiana before going 0-for-7 from deep against New Orleans. Snyder said of Alexander-Walker, “The thing about Nickeil, he’s still playing on the defensive end, too. He seems to make plays on both ends of the floor. He seems to be playing with so much confidence.”
How Does Trae Young’s Return Factor In?
Friday marks Trae Young’s second game against his former team since Atlanta traded him to Washington in January after seven-plus seasons with the Hawks. The deal that sent him to Washington brought CJ McCollum to Atlanta, where he ranks among the Hawks’ scorers. McCollum scored 25 points in Atlanta’s 126-96 win over Washington last season and was limited in Wednesday’s rematch as the Hawks again came out on top.
Young said ahead of the home-and-home series that he holds no ill will toward Atlanta. “I plan on playing for a long time,” Young said. “That’s why I wanted to leave the right way, you know what I’m saying?
And for me to not have any, like, bad blood with anybody in the city or any of the fans. That’s why I wanted to leave on the right terms. And sometimes breakups are meant to happen, but just how they go down is what’s most important.
But for me right now, obviously my 10 toes are here in D.C.”
Where Does The Key Matchup Lie?
Washington’s defense has been a point of emphasis of late, holding both Orlando and Charlotte under 100 points in consecutive wins, including a 95-79 result over the Hornets in which Charlotte shot just 29.7% from the floor. With Davis now out, that defensive identity will have to hold up without its leading rebounder on the interior.
Atlanta’s offense ranks ahead of Washington in scoring at 115.8 points per game compared to the Wizards’ 108.9, built largely around ball movement, with the Hawks averaging 31 assists per game against Washington’s 24.8. Washington counters with a sharper two-point shooting clip, hitting 57.8% from inside the arc compared to Atlanta’s 52.5%, and the Wizards have also limited turnovers better than Atlanta, averaging 13.5 per game against the Hawks’ 14.6. Atlanta holds a rebounding edge on the offensive glass at 14.1 per game to Washington’s 8.4, a gap that could widen further with both Davis and Johnson sidelined.
What To Watch
Washington has not won back-to-back games more than four times all of last season, so a victory Friday would mark a notable step for a team working on its first winning start through seven games since 2021-22. Atlanta is riding a two-game winning streak and sits atop the Southeast Division standings at 5-4, with Washington half a game back at 4-4. The rematch carries NBA Cup Group Play stakes for both clubs as they build their tournament records, and both teams will be shorthanded with Davis and Johnson confirmed out. Washington returns to Southeast Division play after this NBA Cup stretch, while Atlanta continues its group schedule in the days following Friday’s matchup.
Update (6:07 p.m. ET, Friday): Anthony Davis has been ruled out for the Washington Wizards and Jalen Johnson has been ruled out for the Atlanta Hawks in the Wizards vs Hawks NBA Cup rematch, according to the official injury report. Both players had been listed as day-to-day before the final designations came in ahead of Friday’s 7 p.m. ET tip at State Farm Arena.
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