The Atlanta Hawks continue their Western Conference Road swing with a trip to the desert on Saturday night to take on the depleted Phoenix Suns.
Tonight’s game between the Hawks and the Suns pits two teams that couldn’t be further apart in terms of both wins as well as direction as a franchise. The Suns are the West’s version of the Bucks in that they made a big splash in free agency and were expected to take a giant leap forward this year, only to have injuries and inconsistent play take the wind out of their sails. The Hawks, on the other hand, are a team looking to get back to the Eastern Conference Finals. They currently sit in the third spot in the East behind the Raptors and Cavs. The Hawks have won three of their last four while the Suns have dropped six straight and fifteen of their last sixteen overall.
The Hawks are coming off of a 91-88 loss at the hands of DeMarcus Cousins and the Sacramento Kings. The team had trouble getting going on the offensive end as Paul Millsap was high man on the night with 14 points while Kyle Korver and Jeff Teague continued their struggles and both finished in single digits. It was a forgettable game for both players as they struggle to get back to the level of play that they showed for much of last season.
The Suns, a team in search of…well…players available to suit up, are coming off of a blowout loss to the San Antonio Spurs on Thursday night as well. The Suns are having to try and get a lot of minutes out of young players like Devin Booker, Archie Goodwin and T.J. Warren as their roster has been decimated by injuries. With the likes of Eric Bledsoe, Brandon Knight and Markeiff Morris all out with injuries, the Suns don’t have much in terms of big time players to lean on. Tyson Chandler might regret signing in Phoenix as this team looks nothing like the team they were a season ago. Recently signed Lorenzo Brown has seen action in five straight games due to their lack of options at the PG position.
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This is the first time these two teams have squared off this season. The Hawks, in theory and on paper, shouldn’t have a hard time putting this team away and getting to 2-1 on this road trip but as Hawks’ fans know all too well, this team has had a tendency to take teams lightly when their stars are out. Let’s hope that Coach Bud can keep them worrying about the name on the front of their jersey and not focusing on the name in the back.
Key to the Game:
Tony Buckets: With this Suns’ team looking more like a Summer League squad than an actual NBA team at this point, they are going to have to rely on a number of players that aren’t proven scorers. T.J. Warren is their best option to shoulder the scoring load because that’s just what he does. He has a knack for scoring the basketball. He can score in a variety of different ways and will be counted on tonight to do quite a bit of that. He had 18 points in Thursday’s loss to the Spurs after P.J. Tucker went down. He’s a slasher and will be the focus of the Hawks’ attention at that end of the floor. Kent Bazemore and Thabo Sefolosha will both take turns trying to shut him down. As long as the Hawks keep him from getting going along with keeping Booker away from the three point line, the Hawks should be cruising by the third quarter.
Projected Starting Lineups:
Atlanta Hawks
- PG: Jeff Teague
- SG: Kyle Korver
- SF: Kent Bazemore
- PF: Paul Millsap
- C: Al Horford
Notes: No injuries to report for the Hawks
Phoenix Suns
- PG: Archie Goodwin
- SG: Devin Booker
- SF: T.J. Warren
- PF: Alex Len
- C: Tyson Chandler
Notes: Eric Bledsoe (knee) is out for the season and Brandon Knight (groin), P.J. Tucker (chest), Jon Leuer (back), Markieff Morris (shoulder), Mirza Teletovic (ankle) and Ronnie Price (foot) are all questionable to play tonight.
Other News & Notes:
- The Hawks swept the season series with the Suns last year 2-0
- Jeff Teague is averaging a career high 39.5% from three this year
- Suns’ guard Lorenzo Brown and foward T.J. Warren were teammates at NC State during the 2012-2013 season
- Former Hawks’ guard Tyronn Lue is the new Head Coach of the Cleveland Cavaliers
- Tonight’s game will be broadcast on Fox Sports South (TV) and 92.9 The Game (Radio)
Next: Trade Target #2 - Greg Monroe
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