With key injuries in the starting lineup, the Atlanta Hawks and Golden State Warriors are likely not entering this heated matchup in the shape they wish they were currently in. The Warriors will be playing with Klay Thompson who is currently out with an ankle injury while in the midst of a career-high season. The Hawks will be without 3-point wizard Kyle Korver who suffered a broken nose and must sit three games. Now the best team in the East and the best team in the West face off as the regular season winds down.
Thompson and Korver will be greatly missed. At the moment, Thompson is averaging 21.9 points per game on 46.3 percent shooting from the field and 43.5 percent shooting from the 3-point line. He and Stephen Curry form arguably the best backcourt in the league. He suffered an ankle injury against the Los Angeles Lakers and will not be active against the Hawks. Meanwhile, Korver is leading the league shooting 50.1 from the 3-point line, but broke his nose against the Lakers which means Kent Bazemore will likely start in his place.
The last time these two teams faced off, the Hawks beat the Warriors in a true shootout. Draymond Green had 12 points and 20 rebounds while Thompson added 29 points and Curry had 26. It was not enough to beat the five 3-pointers Korver hit along with the 23 points by Jeff Teague. Not having Korver could prove to be very tough for Atlanta to get past as he is such a critical piece to the offense. Teague and Millsap will handle the offense alongside Al Horford who has been getting rest in recent games.
Both the Hawks and Warriors have clinched postseason berths at this point in the season. They are on respective win streaks, but Atlanta is a bit more banged up which could factor heavily into this game. Reserve Mike Scott is out for six weeks with a broken toe and normally handles the long-range shooting in place of Korver. This is a big test for Atlanta to prove they deserve to sit at the top of the East and the team must answer accordingly.
