Last season DeMarre Carroll was a breakout star for the Atlanta Hawks and a critical reason the team made it all the way to the Eastern Conference Finals. The forward dominated on the court at the right time as he played last year on an expiring contract. The issue was that so was Paul Millsap and when forced to make a decision between the two, the Hawks re-signed Millsap and let Carroll walk away to the Toronto Raptors. Now he makes his return to Phillips Arena as the two Eastern Conference teams face off.
Atlanta has been loving the home cooking this season. The team is 7-3 when playing at Phillips Arena while shooting 47.4 percent overall. That was on full display when the team beat the Oklahoma City Thunder 106-100. After having dropped five of six on the road, they have won their last three home games. Jeff Teague led the way with 25 points on Monday. That is the third time in four games he has produced those types of numbers. The point guard along with Millsap have been playing at a high level as the forward is averaging 18.6 points per game. While defense and rebounding has been very shaky this season for the Hawks, shooting has been consistent.
The Raptors are coming off a loss to the Phoenix Suns after winning four games in a row. Kyle Lowry has been leading the way with 20.7 points per game. However, in his last four meeting against the Atlanta Hawks, he is only averaging 11.5 points per game. The Raptors have won four of those five meetings as they have been able to hold the Hawks to some of their worst performances. Atlanta has committed 23 turnovers in their last meeting while Kyle Korver has struggled from beyond the arc.
The Hawks are not thinking about the reunion with Carroll. Teague told the media "I don't really care" when asked about seeing his former teammate in a different uniform. Millsap took a different approach saying he was excited to see Carroll. The forward is currently averaging 13.1 points and 4.9 rebounds for Toronto, but has been nursing a sore heel that has caused him to miss several games.
