The Atlanta Hawks host a red-hot reigning MVP in Nikola Jokic
The Atlanta Hawks are back to having to prove themselves on a nightly basis. Sitting ninth in the East at 14-14, their 12-point win over the Orlando Magic on Wednesday was nice. But, when framed against their 132-126 home loss to the Houston Rockets just a couple of nights prior, it is understandable is some on the outside are reluctant to fully buy back in.
This season has been just like a basketball game; a series of runs. Currently, the Hawks are on a five-game winning streak on the road.
They are also on a five-game skid at State Farm Arena.
Enter the visiting Denver Nuggets led by the reigning MVP, Nikola Jokic who is in the midst of a season even better than last year when he took home the coveted hardware. He’s averaging 26.6 points on 58.8 percent shooting and 13.6 rebounds – all career-highs – while dishing out 7.5 assists per contest.
No one in NBA history has ever put up that kind of line over an entire season.
Hawks-Nuggets pits two superstars having incredible seasons in Nikola Jokic and Trae Young
Denver is ridiculously plus-12 when Jokic is on the floor but minus-16 when he sits, giving him a plus-28 net rating.
We’ve taken the time to celebrate what Trae Young has done. He is also having the best season of his career averaging 27.0 points, 9.3 assists, and 4.1 boards. Young is shooting 46.1 percent from the floor and 38.3 percent from deep; both career-best marks.
The last 10 games for both players have been absolutely insane.
Young has put up 30.7 points, 9.7 assists, and 5.0 rebounds with 1.2 steals per game while shooting 49.1 percent overall and 39.2 percent from downtown. Meanwhile, Jokic is averaging 27.2 points, 13.3 boards, and 9.0 assists on 58.2 percent shooting and 37.0 percent from distance. He is also averaging 1.2 steals per.
Both have led their teams to 5-5 records in that span which is why neither is getting the MVP love they deserve.
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The rub is that, while both teams have dealt with significant injuries, the Nuggets haven’t had their second-best player in Jamal Murray all season and lost Michale Porter Jr. for the season to a back injury at the beginning of November.
Young’s Hawks have missed Onyeka Okongwu – who is probable for this contest – all season and lost reserve Solomon Hill for the year to a torn hamstring.
However, they’ve already gotten Cam Reddish back from a multi-game absence and will get Bogdan Bogdanovic and De’Andre Hunter back at some point in the near future. They’ve also never lost the other best players. John Collins and Clint Capela haven’t missed a game all season.
Both teams enter this contest with 14-14 records and are not where they pictured themselves coming into the campaign. Denver is not a good team in its current state. But they do have arguably the best player in basketball if it isn’t Kevin Durant.
The Hawks haven’t always dealt with adversity well this season, blowing leads and struggling in clutch games.
Next. Studs and duds as road streak reaches five games. dark
Jokic is great but this should not be that type of contest with a team that comes in 6-9 on the road in the Nuggets.