Atlanta Hawks vs. San Antonio Spurs: NBA Preview
The Atlanta Hawks are all set to take on the red-hot San Antonio Spurs at Philips Arena on Tuesday night.
The Spurs snapped their six-game losing streak by thrashing the Phoenix Suns 114-97 at AT&T Centre on Sunday night. This was the Spurs longest losing streak in 14 years. Guard George Hill came off the bench with a game-high 29 points and grabbed four assists in the victory.
The Spurs are on top of the Western Conference standings with 58 victories in the 2010-11 season. They are ahead two and a half games ahead of the Los Angeles Lakers, who occupy second spot in the Western Conference.
After the win against Phoenix, Spurs coach Gregg Popovich praised George Hill's performance. He said, "We shot a lot better, and that makes things easier for sure. I hope that we can do what we did tonight and make good shots great shots. George (Hill) had another one of those games where he is aggressive coming off the bench. It really helps our group."
San Antonio defeated the Hawks 108-92 the last time the sides met on 10th December. San Antonio have also won eight of their last nine games against Atlanta. Guard Manu Ginobili and forward Richard Jefferson chipped in with 18 points each in the victory.
The first four defeats in the Spurs losing streak were partly down to the unavailability of stars such as Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker. The good news for Spurs fans though, is that all three players are fully fit ahead of the game.
Although San Antonio are leading the National Basketball Association (NBA) but their performances on the road this season have not been very impressive. They have lost four consecutive games and seven of their last 10 matches away from the AT&T Centre. In addition to that, the Spurs are 0-6 on the road against Eastern Conference opposition this season.
The Hawks on the other hand, have a solid home record, as they have won their last three games at Philips Arena. They are currently in fifth position in the East with 44 victories in the 2010-11 season.
Atlanta are coming off a narrow 119-114 defeat to the Houston Rockets at the Toyota Centre on Sunday night. The Hawks lost the game even though six of their players scored in double figures. The defeat ended their four-game winning streak. Joe Johnson posted 25 points while Josh Smith had 21 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists in the defeat.
George Hill and Joe Johnson are the players to watch out for in this game, as both of them are coming off some impressive performances in their previous matches.
Spurs guard Tony Parker was quite confident about maintaining top spot in the Western Conference ahead of the playoffs. He said, "We have got a lot of confidence, and hopefully we can finish in first place.”
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