Can the Atlanta Hawks surprise the Denver Nuggets for a rare road win?
The Atlanta Hawks are a team at the end of a four-game road trip and while there is light at the end of the tunnel, they have to get past the Denver Nuggets first. For a team that has been down three starters, it is surprising that the Nuggets are riding a three-game win streak.
They have been helped that these games are at home and two of them have been against bottom teams in the league. They took care of the Houston Rockets in the first game of the streak and the Indiana Pacers in the third game, and that was without MVP Nikola Jokic.
However, this team needs to be taken very seriously. They have the fourth-best record in the Western Conference and they took care of the red-hot Miami Heat in the second game of their homestand. The Hawks have been struggling on the road and need everything to go right against the team from the Mile High City in order to break their five-game losing streak.
How the Atlanta Hawks can surprise the Denver Nuggets.
The Hawks have a few tasks to complete if they can hope to take their second road victory of the season. The first, and most important task, is to curtail the influence of Jokic. Judged as the best player in the game last season, Jokic can pass, shoot from all three levels, and is a tough matchup. The Hawks will need to try Clint Capela, Gorgui Dieng, and Danilo Gallinari to slow down the big man.
Secondly, they need to produce a full team effort for the whole 48 minutes. Trae Young has been carrying the load, along with John Collins in most of the away games. However, there have been too many Hawks who have struggled for consistency on the road and it has impacted the team’s ability to win.
Why TRae Young needs to study Stephen Curry. dark. Next
The third key to this game is to start taking and making better shots from the floor. The Hawks are 21st in assists with 22.7 per game. This is not because the ball is not moving, it is because they are missing too many open shots. With both Bogdan Bogdanovic and De’Andre Hunter listed as questionable, this is going to require a total effort from every member of the team.