If the Atlanta Hawks are going to continue their impressive win streak, the team will have to get past several key injuries in order to do so. Looking to notch their 20th straight win, the Hawks will be playing without Thabo Sefolosha, DeMarre Carroll and Shelvin Mack for the foreseeable future. Atlanta heads on the road to face the New Orleans Pelicans who are getting Anthony Davis back and are ready for a win.
The Hawks struggled against the Philadelphia 76ers, blowing a 21-point lead and falling behind at one point. However, strong performances down the stretch are what got the team their 19th straight win while becoming the first team in NBA history to earn 17 win in one month. The Hawks lineup is lacking all of a sudden as depth becomes as issue. Having Sefolosha and Carroll out at small forward is a big loss as the team loses two of their big defensive stars. Mack has been out six games and could miss another week. As a result, Kent Bazemore will get the start while John Jenkins will also see more playing time after getting minutes against the 76ers.
The team remains confident in the roster right now. Head coach Mike Budenholzer told the media that Bazemore has been excelling for the team lately while Carroll's injury is not as serious as the other two and he could see a return soon. The Hawks will need that as they prepare to face a Pelicans team getting their star player back.
New Orleans is a strong team at home and will flex that against Atlanta as they are 16-6 on home court while sitting in the No. 8 spot for the playoffs. Getting Davis back will be huge. The star was held to just 14 points the last time he saw the Atlanta Hawks while Eric Gordon did not play at all. Gordon put up 28 points against the Los Angeles Clippers and will look to keep momentum alive.
