Atlanta Hawks Game Preview: vs. Phoenix Suns

The banged up Atlanta Hawks welcome the tanking Phoenix Suns to Philips Arena on Tuesday night. Which losing streak will end?

The Atlanta Hawks may finally face opponent they can beat without three players from their starting five. As you might have heard, Kent Bazemore, Thabo Sefolosha, and Paul Millsap will be out of action yet again due to various injuries.

Millsap is out for the next three games due to left knee synovitis, according to Chris Vivlamore of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Vivlamore also notes that right ankle synovitis kept Mike Dunleavy Jr. out of action for 13 games. Are we looking at a similar timeline for Millsap? I’m not sure anyone knows that answer.

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Bazemore seems to be doing a little better. Vivlamore reported that he might even be able to return to the lineup for Atlanta’s Wednesday night game against the Philadelphia 76ers. A timetable has not been set for Sefolosha, as he tries to return from a lingering groin injury.

Back to my original statement, the Hawks might actually win this game! They’re going up against a Phoenix Suns team that has lost eight games in a row and is actively trying to lose (allegedly). They have entered full “tank mode” and are looking to improve their lottery position. It’s hard to fault them, considering how loaded the 2017 NBA Draft is.

In short, the Suns are not a very good basketball team. In fact, they are a very bad basketball team. They enter into tonight’s game with a record of 22-52. Only the Los Angeles Lakers and Brooklyn Nets have been worse this season.

They’ve got some nice young talent throughout the roster, most of those players just aren’t ready to be significant contributors on a quality NBA team. Players like Dragan Bender (who is injured) and Marquese Chriss are filled with potential, and will develop with time, but they’re not ready yet.

Eric Bledsoe is Phoenix’s best all-around player at the moment. The diminutive, bull-dog of a point guard is averaging 21.1 points and 6.3 assists per game this season on 43.4 percent shooting. He has also posted a team-high PER of 20.7.

His partner in the backcourt is also having a good season. You might remember Devin Booker as one of the breakout rookies of the 2015-16 NBA season. If Karl-Anthony Towns and Kristaps Porzingis didn’t exist, Booker might have won the Rookie of the Year award.

Booker has been in the news lately thanks to a 70-point night against the Boston Celtics. Booker scored his 70 points on an efficient 21-for-40 shooting and 24-for-26 from the free-throw line. Suns coach Earl Watson was clearly trying to get Booker as many points possible, but that shouldn’t diminish Booker’s impressive performance.

For the season, Booker is averaging 21.6 points per game on 42.3 percent shooting and 36.4 percent from three-point range. As his career progresses, Phoenix would like to see him become a bit more efficient. That should come as Booker continues to improve and is surrounded by better teammates.

Brandon Knight and Tyson Chandler also get major minutes in the Suns’ rotation, but their X-Factor might be a little known small forward named T.J. Warren. The former NC State star does one thing extremely well; Warren gets buckets.

Warren is averaging 13.9 points per game this season on 48.9 percent shooting. If he improves his outside shooting, he could become one of the best scorers in the NBA. Bledsoe, Booker, and Warren give the Suns a solid core to build around.

The Hawks and Suns have already played once this season. That game feels as though it was played years ago. On Nov. 30, the Suns grabbed a victory over Atlanta 109-107. Dennis Schroder paced the Hawks with 31 points, but it wasn’t enough. Paul Millsap missed the game due to a hip injury.

Phoenix got 23 points off the bench from Brandon Knight and 17 points from P.J. Tucker on 2-for-3 from three-point range. There’s good news for the Hawks, Tucker now plays for the Toronto Raptors. Phoenix’s outside shooting carried them to victory. Despite shooting just 44.9 percent from the field, they shot 47.6 percent three-point range.

There’s not much to take away from that game, considering how long ago it was played, but it does show that the Suns are capable of beating Atlanta. I know that’s not what Hawks want to hear right now, but it’s true.

A loss to the Suns tonight would give reason to panic. Despite their struggles, it’s still unlikely that the Hawks will miss the playoffs. The math continues to work in their favor. However, losses to Phoenix tonight and Philadelphia on Wednesday would turn the level of concern up to 11.

I think this is the night the Hawks will finally put an end to their losing streak. It’s time. The Suns have no interest in winning this game and Atlanta needs to win. Their desperation should work in their favor.

Next: Schroder's Rank Among Young Point Guards

Who: Phoenix Suns (22-52) @ Atlanta Hawks (37-36)

When: 7:30 PM EST, Tuesday, March 28th, 2017

Where: Philips Arena

How: Fox Sports Southeast

Prediction: Hawks 109 Suns 101

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