Mar 17, 2013; Brooklyn, NY, USA; Atlanta Hawks Dahntay Jones (30) and Atlanta Hawks Al Horford (15) and Atlanta Hawks Josh Smith (5) celebrate during the fourth quarter of an NBA game against the Brooklyn Nets at Barclays Center. The Hawks won 105-93. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

Greetings! Three straight wins to finish out the week are nice, but when you remember what the roster looked like on Wednesday night? 3-1 is a beautiful thing.

Hawks @ Heat — Tuesday, March 12th — Loss (98-81)

Road games against the defending champs are never fun, and this was no exception. It was the Heat’s 19th consecutive victory, and they really dominated this game from the jump after a 26-18 first quarter edge. The craziest part of the entire game was the fact that Lebron James had a “bad” night by his standards, shooting just 3-11 from the field and finishing with 15 points, 7 assists, and 7 rebounds in 30 minutes…. and it didn’t even matter. Dwyane Wade was very good (9-18 FG, 23 points in 30 minutes) and the Heat caused a crippling 22 turnovers from the Atlanta offense. Against Miami (or any up-tempo team), turnovers are a back-breaker, and nine players from Atlanta committed 2+ turnovers on the night. It wasn’t at all pretty, and this was the first game in a while where it was tough to even find a player who was a “bright spot”. Miami is in a different class right now.

Hawks vs. Lakers — Wednesday, March 13th — Win (96-92)

What an absolutely wild win. Just prior to game time, it was announced that both Josh Smith and Jeff Teague would be out for this game with injury, and with Deshawn Stevenson (unavailable on a back-to-back) and Zaza Pachulia (injured) out of the lineup, it didn’t look good for Atlanta. Then, the Hawks showed up in a big way, coming out of the gate strong (leading by 7 after the 1st quarter and 12 at the half) and withstanding a massive 3rd quarter run by Kobe Bryant and company to get an unexpected victory. The “takeaway” from the game nationally was the absurdity of the Kobe/Dahntay Jones ankle incident, but I’m going to ignore that and focus on the game itself. Atlanta had six guys in double-figures on the night (and a 7th in Anthony Tolliver who scored 9 points) in a total team effort, and the energy level was through the roof from the get-go. The Hawks won the rebounding battle (52-45), outshot the Lakers (47% to 39%), and even got to the free throw line 21 times on the night. Al Horford anchored the team (as usual) with 14 points and 14 rebounds, but the contributions from unexpected sources put the game over the top. Johan Petro had his best game as a Hawk, putting up a 10-point/11-rebound double-double in 26 minutes opposite Dwight Howard, Shelvin Mack and John Jenkins combined for 19 points, and Ivan Johnson had 12 points and 8 rebounds off the bench. This was one of the more memorable nights of the season, and while it was lost in the Kobe madness, it’s a great win.

Hawks vs. Suns — Friday, March 15th — Win (107-94)

Phoenix is a bad basketball team, but it was nice to see the Hawks take care of business in a game they’re “supposed” to win. Josh Smith and Jeff Teague returned to action, and Smith led the team in scoring with 17 points to go along with 11 rebounds and 7 assists. Teague was brought off of the bench (curiously) and shot just 2-10 from the field, but it was a positive sign to see him back out on the floor quickly. The story of the night was the 3-point barrage for Atlanta, as the team made 12-23 attempts (52%) and Kyle Korver led the way with four triples. Even with a disappointing 20 turnovers, this was a nice offensive performance, and they took advantage of the gaps in the Phoenix defense all night.

Hawks @ Nets — Sunday, March 17th — Win (105-93)

Atlanta got revenge from last week’s home loss with a convincing win in Brooklyn. The Hawks outscored the Nets 34-20 in the 4th quarter (a crazy margin on the road) and put them away in big-time fashion. Al Horford was tremendous all night, finishing with 22 points, 11 rebounds, and 4 steals to go along with a game-high +24 on-court rating. The craziest stat of the night was the fact that Atlanta got murdered on the glass (50-38) and still won the game going away thanks to a 53% shooting night from the field, and 30 assists on 44 made baskets. Horford and company did a number on Brook Lopez defensively, holding the All-Star center to just 7-19 shooting, and with Reggie Evans as the front-court counterpart to Lopez, it was easy to see them bring quick double-teams. With the win, Atlanta climbs to within one game of Brooklyn in the standings, and with a late-push, they could surpass them in a hurry.

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After the “typical” Miami game, it was a very, very nice week. The LA win seemingly came out of nowhere (with the aforementioned personnel issues), and winning on the road in Brooklyn is huge. Let’s see if the Hawks can keep up the sudden momentum. Enjoy!

Mar 15, 2013; Atlanta, GA, USA; Atlanta Hawks small forward Josh Smith (5) knocks the ball out of the hands of Phoenix Suns small forward Wesley Johnson (2) in the first half at Philips Arena. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Shirey-USA TODAY Sports

The Hawks erased the demons of a loss to the Phoenix Suns two weeks ago, a thoroughly sloppy effort, with a solid 107-94 victory.

This is not a Suns team, especially missing arguably their best player in Marcin Gortat, that should give a good team like the Hawks trouble on the road and it showed Friday night in Philips Arena.

Jeff Teague came off the bench for the first time since the 2011 season but looked somewhat tentative moving on a wrapped up ankle. He finished with just eight points on 2-of-10 shooting. Once Teague is comfortable cutting and exploding, tonight’s performance will be out a distant memory. Devin Harris filled his role admirably.

Kyle Korver again upped his franchise leading streak of games with a three pointer to 58 straight games. But he certainly did not stop there. By the end of the night, I’m sure Lindsay Hunter had communicated to his team the lethalness of Korver’s long range stroke — if they did not get the picture on the court.

Al Horford looked out of rhythm and couldn’t get his shot to fall all night long. The length of the Morris twins as well as Jermaine O’Neal and Hamed Haddadi probably had something to do with that.

Johan Petro drained a buzzer beating three pointer at the end of the first quarter for his second career three-point bucket and DeShawn Stevenson matched him before halftime.

Again, it’s a feel-good win to avenge a bad loss that happened across the country. With the win, the Hawks jumped back up to the fifth seed in the Eastern Conference with only the seemingly benign Brooklyn Nets and New York Knicks separating them from a top 3 seed. If Teague and Zaza Pachulia — who has been ruled out indefinitely with an Achilles injury — can come back to the forms they displayed earlier in the season, then this Hawks team can assume a higher seed than the majority of basketball fans would expect.

Game Balls:

1. Devin Harris: With Teague still recovering from a sprained left ankle, Devin Harris got his first start at the point guard position, as opposed to the shooting guard. Harris finished 6-9 for 15 points, 5 assists, 4 rebounds and 3 steals.

2. Josh Smith: Josh Smith was simply more athletic than any player the Suns could throw out there. He, along with the rest of the Hawks, was unstoppable in transition and, along with Devin Harris, led the Hawks to a 29-5 disparity in fastbreak points. His line included 17 points, 11 rebounds, 7 assists and 3 steals.

3. Kyle Korver: Korver was money all game long. He was 6-9, including 4-5 from beyond the arc for 16 points. Even when he wasn’t shooting, simply the threat of the long ball opened up opportunities in the paint and midrange areas. Still Korver certainly showed he knows his role on the team. After all, shooters shoot; shooters shoot the ball.

Barry Gossage/NBAE/Getty Images

Game Preview:

The Phoenix Suns come into Philips Arena Friday looking to sweep the two-game season series from the Atlanta Hawks. The Suns won the first meeting 92-87 in Phoenix on March 1 and started the Hawks on an active five-game road losing streak.

Atlanta snapped a three-game skid with a controversial 96-92 home victory over the Los Angeles Lakers on Wednesday after Kobe Bryant missed a game-tying shot in the finals seconds, later criticizing Hawks defender Dahntay Jones for a dirty play and the officials for not calling a foul. Bryant twisted his ankle on the play when he landed on Jones’ foot after attempting a fade away baseline jumper that would have forced overtime.

After the game, Bryant tweeted:

#dangerousplay that should have been called. Period.

— Kobe Bryant (@kobebryant) March 14, 2013

Hawks starters Josh Smith (sprainked knee) and Jeff Teague (sprained ankle) both missed the game against LA, but will return to the lineup tonight joined by fellow starters Kyle Korver, DeShawn Stevenson and Al Horford.

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Quick Facts

Who?: Atlanta Hawks vs Phoenix Suns

What?: East vs West Showdown (Game #65, Home Game #32)

Where?: Philips Arena (Atlanta, GA)

When?: Friday, March 15, 2013 – 7:30 PM (EST)

How?: SportSouth HDTV / 680 AM & 93.7 FM

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Projected Starting Lineups

Atlanta Hawks: 

PG: Jeff Teague | SG: Kyle Korver | SF: DeShawn Stevenson | PF: Josh Smith | C: Al Horford

Phoenix Suns:

PG: Goran Dragic | SG: Wes Johnson | SF: Marcus Morris | PF: Markieff Morris | C: Luis Scola

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Injury/Inactive Players Report

Atlanta Hawks: Josh Smith (right knee sprain) and Jeff Teague (sprained left ankle) are probable. Zaza Pachulia (sore right Achilles) and Lou Williams (torn right ACL) are out.

Phoenix Suns: Channing Frye (enlarged heart), Jermaine O’Neal (personal reasons) and Marcin Gortat (lisfranc sprain, right foot) are out.

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Current Records/Streak & Hot, Lukewarm, or Cold

Records: Atlanta Hawks (35-29) … Phoenix Suns (22-43)

Streaks: Atlanta Hawks –> OVERALL: Won 1 / HOME: Won 1 / ROAD: Lost 5 … Phoenix Suns –> OVERALL: Lost 1 / HOME: Lost 2 / ROAD: Lost 1

Home/Away Records: Hawks are (20-11) at home … Suns are (7-26) away.

Atlanta Hawks: Cold. The Hawks snapped a three-game losing streak with a controversial home victory over the Lakers on Wednesday but have dropped six of their last eight games overall.

Phoenix Suns: Cold. Phoenix has lost four of their last five games and post a 7-26 record on the road. They’re tied with the New Orleans Hornets for the worst overall record in the Western Conference.

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Season/Past Season Series

Phoenix visits Philips Arena for the only time this year in the second-and-final contest with the Hawks. The Suns posted a 92-87 home win in the first meeting on 3/1. Al Horford scored 20 points to pace Atlanta, while Goran Dragic had 19 points for Phoenix. The Suns have taken the last two games at Philips Arena, with Atlanta’s last home win coming on 1/15/10 (102-101). Phoenix leads the all-time series 67-48, with the Hawks holding a 29-25 advantage in home games.

LAST MEETING – SUNS 92, HAWKS 87 — US AIRWAYS CENTER (PHOENIX, AZ )– 3/1/13

A tightly contested first quarter ended with Phoenix leading 21-19. A 12-2 second quarter Hawks run put the visitors up 33-27 midway through the stanza, but the Suns closed the half on an 8-0 spurt for a 44-39 edge at the break. Phoenix also closed the third quarter on a 7-0 run to take their biggest lead of the night (72-61) heading to the final frame. Atlanta wouldn’t get closer than five the rest of the game. Al Horford continued his hot play with a game-high 20 points, including a career-best two three-pointers. Kyle Korver scored 17, Devin Harris 12 and Anthony Tolliver 11, while Josh Smith grabbed a game-high 10 rebounds. Goran Dragic was the only Suns starter in double-figures with 19. Phoenix’s bench accounted for four double-digit scorers, helping outscore the Hawks reserves 58-34.

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Common Threads

Larry Drew coached Lindsay Hunter as an assistant with the Pistons in 1999-00. Anthony Tolliver, Michael Beasley and Wesley Johnson were all teammates with Minnesota the last two seasons. Lester Conner coached Jermaine O’Neal as an assistant with the Pacers in 2007-08. Suns radio broadcaster Tim Kempton played three games for the Hawks in 1995-96.

Information was used from the Hawks and Suns official gamenotes