When the Atlanta Hawks begin a three-game homestand on Saturday against the Indiana Pacers, who are attempting to keep their own playoff hopes alive, they hope to strengthen their chances of making the playoffs.
The Hawks lost to the Minnesota Timberwolves on the road on Wednesday, 125-124, but they have won their last two at home and are 20-15 this season.
No. 1 is Atlanta (36-37). 8th in the Eastern Conference, just half a game behind the No. nine Toronto Raptors (36-38), one game ahead of the No. (35-38) 10 Chicago Bulls
After falling to Boston 120-95 on Friday, Indiana is 14-24 on the road. On their current road trip, which comes to an end in Atlanta, the Pacers are 1-2.
Both Indiana (33-41) and the Washington Wizards (33-41), which are tied for 11th place in the Eastern Conference, are two and a half games behind Chicago for the final play-in tournament spot.
This season, the Pacers and Hawks played each other twice, both in Indianapolis. On Jan. 13, John Collins scored the game-winning basket with 0.7 seconds remaining, giving the Hawks a victory of 113-111. Onyeka Okongwu of Atlanta scored 18 points and grabbed a career-high 20 rebounds.
A year ago, the Hawks won all four games in a row.
Dejounte Murray, a guard, is expected to return to Atlanta on Saturday. Murray, the team’s second-leading scorer, was sick with something other than COVID and missed the last two games. Jalen Johnson, the reserve, will miss another game on Saturday due to a groin strain and tight left hamstring.
After missing six games with a sprained right ankle and bruised knee, Indiana’s Tyrese Haliburton returned and scored 20 points against Boston. Chris Duarte (sore left lower leg) missed Friday’s down.
The NBA revealed that the officials of Wednesday’s game committed five errors, four of which were in favor of the Timberwolves, during the game’s final two minutes, costing Atlanta a chance to gain ground. That disclosure caused Atlanta star Trae Youthful to add his name to the rundown of players and mentors who believe that refs should be considered responsible for their missteps.
Atlanta is scoring points effortlessly. The Hawks have scored an average of 122.9 points per game in their 14 games since the All-Star break, which ranks third in the NBA. They are shooting 49.9 percent from the field, 38.5% from three-point range, and 81.7% from the free throw line. The Hawks have scored at least 100 points in 48 consecutive games, the longest active streak in the NBA and the second-longest streak in franchise history.
