The Atlanta Hawks saw their impressive 19-game win streak come to end as the team fell to the New Orleans Pelicans on the road thanks to a number of injuries causing depth issues on the roster. The Hawks are bouncing back from a loss for the first time in over a month after they went 17-0 in January alone. Regaining their focus, the heads back home to play the Washington Wizards in an Eastern Conference matchup.
The Hawks have not lost in awhile, but fell to the Pelicans thanks to injuries to Thabo Sefolosha, DeMarre Carroll and Shelvin Mack. Atlanta continues to sit with the best record in the NBA at 40-9, but need to get through a tough week before the All-Star game that includes matchups against Golden State and Memphis after playing the Wizards. During their impressive streak, Atlanta went 9-0 on the road. They swept the Western Conference while defeating all Eastern Conference teams above .500. However now they must learn how to bounce back following numerous injuries.
The Hawks have won 33 of their last 36 so the ability to bounce back is certainly there. Washington will not be an easy team to do it against. Atlanta has beaten the Wizards twice this year including a January 11 performance where eight players got into double figures while shooting 16 of 31 from long range. Kyle Korver led the group with 19 points.
The Wizards are currently nine games back in the Southwest Division while currently being in the middle of a three-game losing streak. The biggest issue for the Wizards is the sprained ankle of John Wall who continues to be listed as day-to-day in the injury report. The point guard had his sixth double-double in eight games after losing to the Charlotte Hornets. Bradley Beal added one as well with 18 points and 11 rebounds. According to Beal, the Wizards are not hungry and need to change their attitude in order to be successful.
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