Atlanta Hawks Game Preview: March 6th vs. Golden State Warriors

The Atlanta Hawks host the best team in the NBA on Monday night. Can they pull off the enormous upset?

The Atlanta Hawks have not had a good start to their post-All-Star break season. Sunday afternoon’s loss to the Indiana Pacers brings their record to 2-4 since their return from All-Star weekend.

The road doesn’t get any easier. The NBA’s best team, the Golden State Warriors, roll into Phillips Arena on Monday evening looking to get themselves back on track. The Warriors have also been stumbling of late.

Well, stumbling for them. They have still won five of their last seven games. Back-to-back losses to the Chicago Bulls and the Washington Wizards were the only blemishes. That game against the Wizards could have larger implications, however.

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Kevin Durant went down with a knee injury during the loss. The injury will likely keep him out for the rest of the regular season. It’s not a crushing blow to the Warriors, considering they are still loaded with talent, but it definitely throws a wrench into their season.

Durant led the Warriors past the Hawks in their first meeting. That contest came all the way back on Nov. 28, with the Hawks in the midst of their early season free-fall. Durant finished with 25 points and 14 rebounds on 8-for-16 shooting. The Hawks didn’t have a defender capable of slowing him down.

Stephen Curry added 25 points on 4-for-11 from outside, while Klay Thompson added 20 points on 3-for-6 shooting from deep. Overall the Warriors struggled from the field. They shot just 43.5 percent from the field and 34.3 percent from three-point range. Now, that’s a solid not for most teams. For the Warriors it’s dismal. Did I mention they’re really good?

Atlanta still made it a close game, even leading by a single point after three quarters. A 7-for-29 effort from the three-point line doomed an otherwise quality performance. Dwight Howard posted 14 points and 16 rebounds against Golden State’s sub-par front-line. Paul Millsap contributed 14 points and 14 rebounds of his own, while Dennis Schroder led the way with 24 points and six assists on 10-for-19 shooting.

It’s hard to take away anything meaningful from that game. It was such a long time ago. Both teams have changed since that night.

The Warriors have been as advertised this season. They’re the best team in the league by a wide margin. They have the best offensive rating in the NBA, scoring 116.1 points per 100 possessions. They also have the second best defensive rating in the league, allowing just 104.1 points per 100 possessions.

They are third in the league in three-point percentage (38.2 percent), first in two-point percentage (56 percent), first in assists per game (30.7), first in steals per game (9.7), and first in opponent’s field goal percentage (43.6 percent). They can outscore you or lock you down. That’s a rather deadly combination.

Durant leads them in scoring this season. The much maligned superstar has averaged 25.3 points and 8.2 rebounds per game on 53.7 percent from the floor and 37.8 percent from outside. He was working himself into the MVP conversation before his injury.

Steph Curry is doing Steph Curry things, even if his year has been slightly down by his lofty standards. Curry is averaging 24.9 points per game on 46.4 percent shooting and 39.9 percent from outside. He’s not going to win his third consecutive MVP award, but he’s been fantastic this season.

Klay Thompson is averaging 21.9 points per game while making 40.8 percent of his three-point attempts. The Swiss Army Knife known as Draymond Green is averaging 10.2 points, 8.1 rebounds, and 7.3 assists per game. He’s also in the running to be the NBA’s Defensive Player of the Year. He’s neck and neck with Rudy Gobert and Kawhi Leonard. Given Golden State’s record and incredible defensive metrics, Green should be considered the front-runner.

All this is to say that the Hawks will have their hands full with Golden State on Monday night. Even without Durant they might be the best team in the NBA. With Durant they’re a basketball supernova hellbent on laying waste to the rest of the league.

Durant’s absence gives Atlanta a fighting chance. This allows Mike Budenholzer to put Thabo Sefolosha and Kent Bazemore on Steph Curry and Klay Thompson respectively, if he so chooses. If they can successfully hide Dennis Schroder on Matt Barnes for certain stretches that will be a win for Atlanta defensively.

On offense, Paul Millsap will have his work cut out for him against Draymond Green. Green might be one of the only defenders in the NBA that can handle Millsap one-on-one. Atlanta will have to rely on Dwight Howard taking advantage of a mismatch with Zaza Pachulia. Pachulia is an excellent team defender, but Howard should be able to dominate the glass.

To win the Hawks will need to control the offensive glass and get hot from outside. If Kent Bazemore, Tim Hardaway Jr., and Ersan Ilyasova are knocking down three-pointers they might be able to steal a victory.

The Hawks have proven to be giant-slayers this season. In college basketball March is the month for upsets. Can the Hawks pull one off against the NBA’s best team?

Next: Hawks Drop A Heartbreaker to Pacers

Who: Golden State Warriors (51-11) @ Atlanta Hawks (34-28)

When: 7:30 PM EST, Monday March 6th, 2017

Where: Phillips Arena

How: Fox Sports Southeast

Prediction: Warriors 109 Hawks 95

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