The Atlanta Hawks are coming off another marquee win of the season that has extended their Eastern Conference lead to 11 games after they rallied to beat the Cleveland Cavaliers on Friday. However, just because the Hawks have a solid cushion in the East, it does not mean they are prepared to take it easy. Atlanta is doing the exact opposite by getting more aggressive preparing for the playoffs. They will take that attitude once again as they hit the road to face the Philadelphia 76ers.
Atlanta will play most of the next two weeks on the road against Eastern Conference opponents. They are currently aiming to have their first 50 win season in over five years, but will first have to beat the 76ers to do so. The Hawks are on a six-game win streak after beating both Houston and Cleveland. It was a completed season-sweep of the Rockets while the Hawks closed out the Cleveland series with a 3-1 record this season.
The Hawks relied on balance and defense to beat Cleveland. The team had five players in double figures as Al Horford led the way with 19 points. Dennis Schroder added 15 points off the bench. The team is now focused on consistency and keeping up the intensity as they hit the road where they will split there next six games. After Philadelphia, they will face Sacramento, Denver, Los Angeles Lakers, Phoenix Suns and the Kings again before another big matchup against the Golden State Warriors.
The Hawks must stay focused as the 76ers have proven they can sneak up on people. The Hawks have won their last three games games against Philadelphia by at least 18 points, but the 76ers have dropped nine of their last 10 games. They are coming off a loss to Utah where they did managed to limit the Jazz to just 38.0 percent shooting while forcing 18 turnovers. But the Jazz hit more free throws to get the 89-83 win.
