The Atlanta Hawks will aim to extend their winning streak to seven games when they host the Nikola Jokic-led Denver Nuggets on Sunday evening.
Atlanta secured its sixth consecutive victory, the longest active winning streak by an Eastern Conference team, with a 134-132 overtime win against the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday.
The Nuggets, on the other hand, have lost two straight games, including a surprising 122-113 defeat at Washington on Saturday, which ended the Wizards’ 16-game losing streak. Jokic had a career-high 56 points—23 of which came in the third quarter—along with 16 rebounds and eight assists.
Denver swept the series against Atlanta last season, winning 129-122 in Atlanta and cruising to a 142-110 victory in Denver. The Nuggets have won the last three meetings between the two teams.
In their win over the Lakers, Atlanta got a historic performance from Trae Young, who hit the game-winning shot, scored 31 points, and dished out 20 assists. He became the first player in franchise history to achieve at least 30 points and 20 assists in a single game. Young also added four rebounds and two steals.
During their six-game winning streak, the Hawks are averaging 122.7 points per game, nearly five points higher than their season average of 117.3. Young is averaging 21.2 points and a league-best 12.3 assists per game, while Jalen Johnson contributes 19.8 points and 9.9 rebounds, and De’Andre Hunter averages 19.2 points.
Jokic is averaging 31.4 points, 13.6 rebounds, and 10.3 assists per game this season. However, his numbers are more subdued against the Hawks, averaging 18.6 points, 10.9 rebounds, and 6.7 assists in 18 career games against Atlanta.
On Saturday, Denver trailed by as many as 15 points in the third quarter and couldn’t recover.
