After beating the Eastern Conference's second-best team, the Atlanta Hawks fell to one of the worst as they defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers on Friday and lost to the Philadelphia 76ers on Saturday. Sitting most of the starters for the night, the Hawks suffered some growing pains from their reserve players. Now they must get back on track in order to keep their lead in the East as they prepare to face off against the Sacramento Kings.
The Hawks ended their six-game win streak on Saturday falling to the 76ers, scoring just 84 points, their third-lowest total this season. Atlanta opted to rest Paul Millsap, Kyle Korver and DeMarre Carroll after the Cavaliers game which resulted in growing pains for players like Dennis Schroder. Al Horford also struggled, getting just 12 points while the team was held to 39.0 percent shooting from the field.
Horford has played well against the Kings which could help the team get back on track. He is currently averaging 23.8 points on 59.8 percent shooting in five games against the team. Korver has also looked good against the Western Conference team, averaging 17.4 points while going 20 of 29 from beyond the arc in his last five games against the Kings. Atlanta has been averaging 112.1 points against the team in the series, but cannot afford to get over-confident as every game counts at this point in the season.
The Kings are losers of their last three, the last win coming against New York in a 124-86 routing of the worst team in the NBA. However, defense has been an issue in the losing streak as they have given up 115.0 points on average. They looked like they were getting ready to beat the Miami Heat on Saturday, holding a 16-point lead at one point, but scored just 35 points in the second half to lose in overtime.
With George Karl taking over as head coach, the Kings are hoping to start improving right away. DeMarcus Cousins and Rudy Gay are combining for some solid production on the court and now the rest of the roster must step up.
Watch Hawks vs. Kings live stream, click here.
