7-3! Over the last 10 games, the Atlanta Hawks have held an advantage over their Western Conference Rivals. The same couldn’t be said for Trae Young and co regarding all teams, since their franchise currently holds a 10-11 record in the ongoing regular season. Fortunately, there has been some improvement, and the Hawks are currently running on a 3-game win streak.

Meanwhile, the New Orleans Pelicans’ injury troubles dropped them down to an abysmal 4-17. Therefore, the Hawks certainly hold an advantage going into the matchup. Unfortunately, they have their own injury troubles to deal with.

According to the Atlanta Hawks Injury Report highlighted by ESPN, Trae Young remains under a Day-To-Day status. Fortunately, he is in the ‘Probable’ category. Therefore, he will not miss the upcoming game unless his ailment aggravates. Along with the lead scorer, Bogdan Bogdanovic remains on a ‘Day-To-Day’ status as he continues recovering from his hamstring injury. Cody Zeller’s yet to make his season debut after being ‘OUT’ because of ‘personal reasons’. Judging from the report, he will continue his streak. Seth Lundy was present for one preseason game before a sprained left ankle sidelined him.

Hawks fans might remember Trae Young being injury-ridden for the major part of the previous season. After all, he only participated in 54 of the franchise’s 82 games. The same didn’t last for long, as the point guard sustained a right Achilles tendinitis before the NBA Cup game against the Boston Celtics.

Initially, an independent physician conducted an analysis and revealed Young was healthy enough and could have participated in the NBA Cup game. As a result, the NBA fined the Atlanta Hawks $100,000, since they reportedly violated the league’s player participation policy.

Despite a backup guard to Dyson Daniels, Bogdan Bogdanovic has only played seven games in the ongoing regular season. The player’s problem with his hamstring bothered him even in the early part of the season and kept him benched. The issue continued over the last few days too and sidelined him in the recent game against the Charlotte Hornets. However, holding a probable status, Bogdanovic may be seen accumulating a few minutes as he goes up against the Pelicans.

Speaking of the Pelicans, it was only a week and a half ago when the team had eight players listed on their injury report. 4-5 games later, their situation has improved, but barely. Zion Williamson remains ‘OUT’ as he recovers from a hamstring ailment. In fact, Shams Charania recently reported, “I am told [Zion] Williamson is not remotely close to coming back… Typically, it’s a 4-6 week injury… but the Pelicans are bracing for him to be out beyond that point. I am told he has received multiple injections in that hamstring.”

Jose Alvarado joined the Injury Report a few weeks ago. They listed him after confirming he sustained a left hamstring strain during a matchup against the Nets. Back then, the doctors reported they would reevaluate Alvarado again after three weeks. Brandon Ingram, who was earlier under a ‘Day-To-Day’ status, is now ‘OUT’ and set to miss his fifth consecutive game. Herbert Jones and Jordan Hawkins have been absent from the court for quite a while and will continue doing so.

In light of these injury updates, both teams must adjust their starting lineups for the matchup.

What will the starting lineup and depth chart for the Hawks-Pelicans clash look like?

After incurring the fine, the Atlanta Hawks would not bench Trae Young unless necessary. On the off-chance that the player misses the game, Kobe Bufkin and Vit Krejci can see their play time increase. If Bogdanovic remains absent, then Dyson Daniels could see an increase in his respective minutes. Therefore, the Atlanta Hawks’ starting lineup for the upcoming game might look something like this:

In regards to the New Orleans Pelicans, the Pelicans will continue playing with the adjustments made, since Zion Williamson and Jose Alvarado have been ‘OUT’. To cover for Brandon Ingram, Trey Murphy III is most likely to be put in. Javonte Green, Jeremiah Robinson-Earl, and Brandon Boston Jr may also receive increased minutes. Therefore, we can expect the Pelicans’ starting lineup to look something like this:

The Atlanta Hawks or the New Orleans Pelicans? Who will you be rooting for during the upcoming matchup? Let us know in the comments down below.