Atlanta Hawks Game Preview: Feb. 15 at Los Angeles Clippers

The Atlanta Hawks finish off their three-game road trip tonight with a contest against the Los Angeles Clippers.

If you look closely you can see the light at the end of the tunnel. The All-Star break is almost upon us. But the Atlanta Hawks still have one more game to play. After an exciting, and improbable, comeback win over the Portland Trail Blazers they’ll travel to Los Angeles tonight to take on the Clippers.

They have already met once before this season. They played at Phillips Arena on Jan. 23. Los Angeles controlled that game from the opening tip, taking an 18-point lead into halftime. The Clippers scorched the nets from three-point range, shooting 14-for-24 from deep (58.3 percent). They shot 50 percent from the field overall.

Austin Rivers led Los Angeles in scoring with 27 points on 10-for-21 shooting. His scoring gave them a boost and helped compensate for the absence of Chris Paul and Blake Griffin. Jamal Crawford also played well, especially in the fourth quarter. Crawford had 19 points on 9-for-20 shooting. Eight of those points came in the fourth quarter.

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The Hawks just couldn’t keep up with LA’s offense. They shot 42 percent from the field and just 31 percent on three-point attempts. Dennis Schroder and Paul Millsap had 21 and 19 points respectively, while Kent Bazemore led the way with 25 points.

The entire starting lineup played well, but they didn’t get much from the bench. The bench combined for just 13 points. Tim Hardaway Jr. had a rough night, scoring three points on 1-for-6 shooting.

It was a game the Hawks would like to forget. Directly after that win over the Hawks, Blake Griffin made his return to the starting lineup. The Clippers then lost five of their next six games. Life without Paul isn’t as easy as Atlanta’s defense made it appear.

They’ve since turned things around. They have won three games in a row heading into tonight’s match-up and have seemed to stabilize themselves. Despite various injuries, the Clippers have played well on the offensive end this season. They have the 8th ranked offense in the NBA, scoring 111.8 points per 100 possessions.

Three-point shooting remains one of their strengths. The Clippers shoot 38 percent from three-point range, 4th best in the NBA, and 46.8 percent from the field overall. If there’s one thing this team can do it’s score. Their defense has been rather mediocre. They allow 108.1 points per 100 possessions which ranks 15th in the league.

Blake Griffin leads the team in scoring, averaging 22 points and 8.9 rebounds per game on 49.2 percent shooting. His injuries have limited him to just 35 games.

Chris Paul is still out with a hand injury. He was averaging 17.5 points and 9.7 assists per game on 47.1 percent shooting and 39.5 percent from three-point range when he went down with his injury. Replacing the production of one of the best point guards of all-time is no easy feat. Their goal is to tread water until he’s back in the lineup. So far they’ve done a good job.

Paul’s injury has placed a larger scoring burden on J.J. Redick‘s shoulders. He’s handled it well. The former Duke star is averaging 15.1 points per game on 43.8 percent shooting and 41.6 percent from outside. Redick’s name has been floated in hypothetical Carmelo Anthony trades, but I’d rather have Redick on my team than Anthony.

DeAndre Jordan has been doing DeAndre Jordan things. He finishes lobs, grabs rebounds, and protects the rim. He’s averaging 12.1 points and 13.7 rebounds per game on 69.4 percent shooting. Jamal Crawford is a reliable bench scorer, as usual, and Austin Rivers has developed into an important role player. This team has solid pieces all around. They just need their floor general back and healthy.

The match-up to watch tonight is Paul Millsap against Blake Griffin. They are undoubtedly the most well-rounded power forwards in the NBA. Millsap might be one of the few defenders capable of shutting him down. This battle alone will be worth the price of admission.

Thabo Sefolosha is still listed as questionable for the Hawks, so Kent Bazemore and Tim Hardaway Jr. will have their hands full slowing down J.J. Redick and Jamal Crawford. I expect the Clippers to control the pace of this game, leading to another high-scoring affair.

Daily Fantasy Basketball Projections by numberFire

The projections from numberFire give the Clippers a 73.57 percent chance of winning. I’m going to agree with their prediction. Los Angeles presents a tough match-up for Atlanta. That was made crystal clear during their last contest. Now that Blake Griffin is back in the lineup, the level of difficulty increases significantly.

Next: Hawks Commit To The Present

Who: Atlanta Hawks (32-23) @ Los Angeles Clippers (34-21)

When: 10:30 PM EST, Wednesday, February 15th, 2017

Where: Staples Center

How: Fox Sports Southeast

Prediction: Clippers 110 Hawks 102

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