As the Atlanta Hawks look to extend their win streak to three games, their Saturday night matchup against the Charlotte Hornets comes with notable uncertainty surrounding one of their newest additions.
The Hawks (26-27) host the Hornets (24-28) at 7:00 p.m. ET to close out a two-game homestand, but veteran guard Buddy Hield remains listed as questionable on the team’s latest injury report due to a trade pending designation. Charlotte enters the contest as the hottest team in the league, riding an eight-game winning streak that has pushed them back into the Eastern Conference playoff picture.
Hield was acquired by Atlanta earlier this week in a trade with the Golden State Warriors. The 33-year-old guard last appeared in Golden State’s 113-94 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers on Tuesday night, finishing with nine points, three rebounds, three assists and three steals in 28 minutes. He shot 4-for-11 from the field and went 0-for-4 from 3-point range in the loss.
For the season, Hield is averaging eight points, 2.5 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game while shooting 43.3% from the field and 34.4% from beyond the arc. He has appeared in 44 games with three starts, logging 17.5 minutes per contest in a reserve role.
Atlanta acquired Hield along with forward Jonathan Kuminga in exchange for Kristaps Porzingis, a move that reshaped the Hawks’ rotation ahead of the stretch run. Kuminga, however, will not be available Saturday. The 23-year-old forward is listed as out with left knee bone bruising and a trade pending designation.
Buddy Hield trade status uncertain as Jonathan Kuminga remains out
Kuminga is averaging 12.1 points, 5.9 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game while shooting 45.4% from the field and 32.1% from 3-point range across 20 games this season. He has made 13 starts and is averaging 23.8 minutes per game. His last appearance came Jan. 22 in Golden State’s 123-115 loss to the Dallas Mavericks, when he logged nine minutes before suffering the injury. In that outing, he posted 10 points, two assists, two steals and one rebound while shooting 3-for-3 from the field and 4-for-4 from the free throw line.
While Kuminga remains sidelined and Hield’s availability is uncertain, the Hawks did receive positive news elsewhere on the injury report. Veteran guard Gabe Vincent, who was acquired from the Los Angeles Lakers at Thursday’s trade deadline along with a second-round pick in exchange for Luke Kennard, will be available Saturday.
Vincent, 29, is averaging 4.8 points and 1.3 assists per game this season while shooting 34.6% from the field. He is posting career highs of 36.9% from 3-point range and 90.9% from the free throw line across 29 games with seven starts, averaging 19.3 minutes per contest.
His most recent appearance came Tuesday in the Lakers’ 125-109 win over the Brooklyn Nets, when he finished scoreless but added two steals, one rebound and one assist in 16 minutes.
Charlotte, meanwhile, enters Saturday’s game playing its best basketball of the season. The Hornets’ eight-game winning streak has been fueled by improved defensive consistency and balanced scoring, making them a difficult test for an Atlanta team still integrating new pieces into its rotation.
