The Atlanta Hawks continue to be one of the hottest teams in the NBA. The team is on the rise in the Eastern Conference sitting just behind the Toronto Raptors for the top spot. Almost no one expected the Hawks to be in this position, much like no one expected the team to push the Indiana Pacers to seven games in the NBA playoffs. After big wins against teams over .500, the Hawks now welcome the Milwaukee Bucks to Atlanta for a Friday matchup.
The Hawks continue to prove plenty of critics wrong as their five-game win streak includes victories over Chicago, Houston, Cleveland, Los Angeles Clippers and the Dallas Mavericks. Atlanta is picking up off the momentum they finished last season on where they made the playoffs at the last minute and then challenged Indiana until the very end. Now they have won 14 of their last 15 games including a five-game win streak.
The Hawks are coming off a win against the Clippers where they battled back from a 13-point deficit to win 107-104. DeMarre Carroll continues to excel in place of Jeff Teague, putting up 25 points in the win while Al Horford put up 20 points as well. The defense limited the Clippers to just 40.2 percent shooting to extend their win streak. They also have an eight-game win streak while playing at home where they will face the Bucks Friday.
A lot of Atlanta's success can be summed up to defense. The team is limiting opponents to just 91.4 points per game on just 41.8 percent shooting. They might not be playing with Teague who is out with a hamstring strain, but players like Dennis Schroder is loving the starting spot, averaging 11.3 points and 6.5 assists as a starter in that stretch.
The Hawks' defense could get tested against the Bucks who are averaging 100 points in their past 12 of 14 games. They failed to get that going against Charlotte where they were outscored 34-24 in the hitrd quarter to get the loss.
