Atlanta Hawks Hope to End Skid vs. Sacramento Kings

The Atlanta Hawks look to end their three-game slide versus at home Wednesday night versus the lowly Sacramento Kings of the Western Conference.

The Atlanta Hawks are in a bit of a slump in the early part of the year. Since Jeff Teague went down with an ankle injury in their road game against the Boston Celtics Friday night, the Atlanta Hawks have lost their last three games.

Atlanta’s loss to rival Boston was understandable and the Hawks’ home loss to Utah came down to the last shot, a miss by Paul Millsap, but last night’s loss on the road in Brooklyn is a bit concerning. That was Brooklyn’s second wind of the season and this team needs Jeff Teague back badly.

Dennis Schroder did not have what it took to beat Brooklyn Nets last night as the starting point guard. Hopefully Teague’s ankle improved enough over night to allow him to play in this game.

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Fortunately for the Atlanta Hawks, they will take on the Sacramento Kings tonight at Philips Arena. Sacramento has one premier talent in C DeMarcus Cousins and a plethora of other issues in what is now the most dysfunctional organization in the NBA.

Cousins can dominate any big man with his great offensive game and is a force on the glass. However, the frustrations of playing for the Kings organization takes a toll on even the best players. Boogie seems to have a new coach every year and his front office makes head-scratching personnel decisions constantly. It’s almost amazing how DeMarcus Cousins hasn’t demanded a trade yet.

For Atlanta to end their losing streak, the Hawks are going to need to do two things well: limit turnovers and knock down their looks from the outside. Turnovers are always obvious, but I recall that the Kings are one of the worst perimeter defenses in the NBA. Look for a few of the Hawks sharp shooters to knock down some outside shots in this one.

Next: Atlanta Hawks Lose Heartbreaker to Nets, 90-88

They will also have to play good defense against Cousins, SF Rudy Gay, and PG Rajon Rondo. All three can generate some offense for HC George Karl. The schedule is taking a toll on this Atlanta Hawks team, as they will play a quarter of their regular season game before the start of December. It’s a bit much out of the gate, but we may actually be thankful for it once we get towards the final weeks of the regular season. Go Hawks!

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