Atlanta Hawks vs. Brooklyn Nets: Matchup To Watch

The Atlanta Hawks battle the Brooklyn Nets at Philips Arena on Sunday afternoon. Keep an eye on the action between the two starting point guards.

The Atlanta Hawks are still having a rough month. I keep thinking that eventually I’ll stop having to write that, but the current losing streak will not end. The Hawks have lost six games in a row and are still without Paul Millsap. It’s a scary time for Hawks fans.

Atlanta is now tied for 5th place in the Eastern Conference with the Milwaukee Bucks. They are just a single game ahead of the Indiana Pacers and two games ahead of the Miami Heat. Slipping to the 8th seed is a legitimate possibility. Because of that terrifying fact, Sunday’s game against the Brooklyn Nets is extremely important.

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To win, they’ll need to win the battle of the point guards. Without Paul Millsap in the lineup, Dennis Schroder has to step up. In many ways, the Hawks go as Schroder goes. If he’s getting to the rim, knocking down jumpers, and taking care of the ball Atlanta is tough to beat. If he’s missing shots, turning the ball over at a high rate, and playing lackluster defense then a blowout is likely.

Schroder’s first season as a starting point guard has been up and down, to say the least. Overall he’s got impressive numbers. Schroder is averaging 17.8 points and 6.3 assists per game on 45.1 percent shooting and 33.6 percent from outside. Still, the streaky nature of his play has held the team back at times.

In a recent two-game stretch against the Memphis Grizzlies and Portland Trail Blazers, Schroder combined to shoot 6-for-30 and scored just 18 points. He followed that performance up by posting three straight games where he scored at least 18 points and racked up at least six assists. Of course, in one of those games he committed 10 turnovers.

Schroder is Atlanta’s most exhilarating and frustrating roller-coaster ride. In wins Schroder averages 19.6 points per game on 48.9 percent shooting and 40.8 percent from three. In losses those numbers dip to 15.8 points per game on 40.8 percent shooting and 26.7 percent from deep. Atlanta needs the good version of Schroder on Sunday.

Brooklyn’s most important player is also a point guard. Jeremy Lin signed a three-year $36 million contract with Nets last summer. He was supposed to the face of their shift in organizational culture. Lin was going to be integral in their turnaround. Then injuries happened.

Lin has been fantastic this season, when he’s actually been on the court. Lin is averaging 13.7 points and 4.8 assists per game on 44.6 percent shooting and 36.6 percent from three-point range. Although, he’s only played 27 games due to various injuries. He just can’t stay healthy.

When Lin is in the lineup he gives the Nets a boost of energy. His wild drives to the rim create open shots for his usually lackluster teammates and are just plain exciting to watch. Without Lin the Nets are bad and boring. That’s a bad combination.

The Nets and Hawks have played twice this season. They’ll play twice more before the end of the regular season. Lin and Schroder have only faced off in one of the first two meetings. Atlanta won in a very close game, and both players played well.

Schroder still got the upper hand. Schroder finished with 31 points and five assists on 10-for-21 shooting. Lin ended his night with 16 points and eight assists on 6-for-13 shooting and 3-for-6 from outside. The game came down to the wire with the Hawks just scraping by.

Lin and Schroder are similar players. They both wear the No. 17. They both fight their jumpers from time to time, and they’re both extremely important to the success of their teams.

Next: Hawks Lose Their Sixth Straight

This is a matchup of talented, yet streaky, point guards. It’s also a matchup of point guards with iconic hair. The Hawks need their streaky point guard to win this matchup if they’re going to put an end to their six game losing streak.

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