Atlanta Hawks Game Preview: Jan. 10 Brooklyn Nets

The Atlanta Hawks go for their seventh win in a row against the Brooklyn Nets on Tuesday night. Can they make it a perfect 4-0 road trip?

The Atlanta Hawks have one game remaining on their current road trip. So far, it’s been very successful. They’re 3-0 on the trip, having beaten the Orlando Magic, New Orleans Pelicans, and Dallas Mavericks.

They’ve won six games in a row and are currently 4th in the Eastern Conference. Their days of struggling with a record below .500 appear to be over. Sure, trade rumors have dominated the recent conversation surrounding them, but this team has been darn good over the last few weeks.

The only thing standing between the Hawks and seven wins in a row is the lowly Brooklyn Nets. However, looks can be deceiving. This Nets team is scrappy. They might lose, they’re 8-28 this season, but they’ll fight until the very end.

Had Jeremy Lin not gone down with an injury, they might have a few more victories this season. Finally unleashed as a starting point guard, Lin was putting together a promising season. Through 12 games, Lin was averaging 13.9 points and 5.8 assists per game on 46.9 percent shooting and 33.3 percent from three-point range.

Two separate hamstring injuries have limited Lin’s time on the court this season. That means the Nets are without their second best scorer, their best play-maker, a solid defender, and their floor general. That’s tough to come back from with a less than stellar supporting cast.

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The Nets are still reeling from Billy King’s tenure as GM. Sean Marks took the reigns with a relatively barren cupboard, and assets still promised to the Boston Celtics from the Kevin Garnett/Paul Pierce trade. He’s attempting to change the culture, but Rome wasn’t built in a day.

They have some solid role players. Bojan Bogdanovic is shooting 35.8 percent from three-point range this season. Trevor Booker is nearly averaging a double-double, with 10 points and 9 rebounds per game. Sean Kilpatrick is a dynamic scorer, averaging 14.8 points per game on 42.3 percent shooting.

Caris Levert is a particularly impressive young player. He hasn’t shown much on the court just yet, but he’s got an intriguing tool-set. He could eventually be an impact player on both offense and defense. In a recent game against the Cleveland Cavaliers, Levert scored 19 points, with five assists and four rebounds on 7-for-12 shooting.

Then there’s their stalwart in the middle. God bless Brook Lopez. He’s seen some things. Despite playing on one of the worst teams in the NBA, Lopez is still putting up solid numbers. He’s averaging 20.1 points and 5.1 rebounds per game on 46.7 percent shooting. He’s also added a new weapon to his arsenal.

Lopez is shooting 36.4 percent from behind the arc on 5.2 three-point attempts per game. Who knew he was so stretchy? I’m sure trade rumors will surround Lopez as we draw nearer to Feb 23. Lopez is 28, and it’s tough to imagine that the Nets will be competitive while he’s still in his prime. They might be better off moving him to a contender for a first round pick or two. It’d be nice for them to have draft picks that aren’t owed to the Boston Celtics.

Their overall team statistics are quite alarming. They have the 27th rated defense in the NBA, they allow 111.4 points per 100 possessions. They score just 102.9 points per 100 possessions, 28th best in the NBA. It’s no shock that they have the worst record in the association.

That doesn’t mean this game will be easy for the Hawks. The Nets are 7-11 at home, and boast wins over the Charlotte Hornets, Los Angeles Clippers, and Indiana Pacers. If you let them hang around, they just might upset you.

Dennis Schroder will look to feast against Brooklyn’s back-court. Schroder is averaging 20.8 points and 6 assists per game on 48.2 percent shooting over his last ten games. His three-point shooting percentage is up to 36.3 percent on the season. Without Lin to slow him down, Schroder could run wild and have a huge night.

Paul Millsap will have a difficult match-up in Trevor Booker. Millsap is the superior player, but Booker will make him work for his points.

Brook Lopez going up against Dwight Howard might be the most intriguing match-up of the game. Lopez has a career low 9.2 percent rebounding percentage (excluding his 7.2 percent mark over five games in 2011-12).

Howard, on the other hand, is averaging 14.1 rebounds per game over his last seven games and has a rebounding rate of 24.9 percent. We might see another 20 rebound night from Howard. Although, with Lopez dragging Howard out to the perimeter on defense, that might limit Howard’s rebounding.

The Hawks have the advantage at almost every spot on the floor. They should win this game. Of course, if Brooklyn gets hot from outside, all bets are off. They attempt the fourth most three-pointers per game in the NBA, but are just 27th in terms of efficiency. They’ll launch plenty of three-pointers against Atlanta. If they go in then Brooklyn will have a shot. If they don’t, this one could be a blowout.

Next: Hawks Hoping To Make A Splash In Free Agency?

Who: Atlanta Hawks (21-16) @ Brooklyn Nets (8-28)

When: 7:30 PM EST, Tuesday, January 10th, 2017

Where: Barclays Center

How: FOX Sports Southeast

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