The long wait is over and the Atlanta Hawks will participate in a sanctioned NBA game on Monday evening. Yes, the game doesn’t actually count but, at the very least, there will be head-to-head competition on the floor at State Farm Arena when the Hawks take on Zion Williamson and the New Orleans Pelicans.
From an injury standpoint, Atlanta will not have a full, 20-player stable of options in this game, with Allen Crabbe (knee), Chandler Parsons (load management and knees), Ray Spalding (dental pain) and Evan Turner (Achilles) all ruled out for Monday’s action. Beyond that, Brandon Goodwin (hip) is questionable and, in a change from the injury report issued on Sunday, Lloyd Pierce told the media on Monday that Kevin Huerter (who was experiencing knee pain before training camp) will not, in fact, play in the opener.