The Thunder comfortably defeated the 76ers and got back on track after dropping four of its past six games. Oklahoma City now hosts Atlanta in the second night of a back-to-back. The contest will unfortunately be marred by injuries. 

Isaiah Hartenstein, Ajay Mitchell, Isaiah Joe, Jaylin Williams and Ousmane Dieng are all questionable to play. Jalen Johnson and Kristaps Porzingis are sidelined for the Hawks, while Trae Young is questionable. 

Keep reading for three key matchups between these injury-riddled teams.  

According to Cleaning the Glass, Atlanta’s defense has surrendered 129.3 points per 100 possessions with Trae Young on the court this season. The 4x All-Star has always been a massive defensive liability due to his size, but he’s especially bad right now. 

Oklahoma City needs to target Young by dragging him into every possession whether it’s pick-and-rolls, dribble handoffs or isolation. If Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and company manage to accomplish this feat, then they should light up the scoreboard – especially since Porzingis’ rim protection is absent. 

But it’s also imperative to pressure Young on the other end. He is prone to turnovers and struggles mightily against physical yet quick perimeter defenders. Look for Cason Wallace to get the assignment. He leads the NBA in steals per game and is built in a lab to defend Young. 

If Atlanta is going to keep this game within striking distance, then it must hold Gilgeous-Alexander to a poor scoring night (which is around 26 points for him). 

Dyson Daniels earned All-Defensive First Team honors last season. He possesses the length to bother Gilgeous-Alexander and has had success recently in this matchup. Since the start of last season, Daniels has guarded Gilgeous-Alexander for 112 possessions and held Oklahoma City’s superstar to 19.4 points per 75 possessions on 54.8% true shooting. 

Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Keaton Wallace are also good perimeter defenders who will likely defend Gilgeous-Alexander for stretches. 

Oklahoma City’s defense surrenders the third-highest three-point attempt rate across the association. It is designed to erase paint attempts and instead force role players take jump shots 

Atlanta enters this contest ranked fifth in three-point percentage. Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Vit Krejci, Onyeka Okongwu, Luke Kennard and Keaton Wallace combine to shoot 39.8% on 23.7 three-point attempts per game. They need to punish Oklahoma City’s defense by knocking down triples and attacking hard closeouts. 

Otherwise, the Hawks probably cannot score enough to keep pace with the Thunder.