Atlanta Hawks must-see home game No. 5: Fri, Dec 17 vs. Denver Nuggets
The defending MVP coming to town is always noteworthy. And the Hawks will welcome Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets with Young in the top-10 for MVP odds next season. Jokic was the first center to win the award since Shaq in 2000. Young would be the first point guard since Russell Westbrook in 2017.
More from Hawks News
- Start, Bench, Cut: Sorting through the Hawks’ power forward options
- Hawks’ Bogdan Bogdanovic reacts to earning FIBA World Cup championship bid
- When does training camp start for the Atlanta Hawks?
- Dejounte Murray rips NBA 2K after Atlanta Hawks ratings reveal
- Hawks’ Bogdan Bogdanovic makes special dedication after FIBA win
Denver is packing a ton of firepower outside of Jokic too.
Jamal Murray should be back from his torn ACL and Michael Porter Jr. came on in his absence, averaging 23.5 points and 6.1 rebounds during the regular season and 17.4 points and 6.2 boards in the playoffs.
Murray has a higher scoring average in the postseason than he does for his career.
Aaron Gordon also matches up well with Collins, who he held to a similar point total as the first matchup between these two teams; which he missed.
But Collins was only able to grab five rebounds after snagging 11 in the first meeting.
With just the two meetings on tap yet again (different conferences and whatnot), there is added importance on catching the fireworks.
Young had 21 points and seven assist in the loss, but 35 points and 15 assists in the win. Murray countered with 30 in the first game and 17 in the second as Denver had six guys in double figures (compared to four for the Hawks) including Ja’Mychal Green’s team-leading 20 points.
Last year the Nuggets were the deeper team, especially after acquiring Gordon. But now, following free agency and the draft, the Hawks might be able to take both games against their Western Conference opponent.