Atlanta Hawks: Paul Millsap Out Another Week
By Kit Anderson
The Atlanta Hawks have gotten the news that Paul Millsap will miss at least three more games with the Hawks reeling already. Can they turn it around without Millsap on the court?
To say that the Atlanta Hawks are struggling would be a vast understatement in the midst of a very long losing streak. They have managed to stay in the playoff race but have teams distancing themselves from them atop the division and closing in on them from behind.
The Hawks are going to have to get hot quickly if they want a chance in the playoffs and they are going to have to do so without Paul Millsap. Millsap has been battling a knee injury and will be out for at least another three games which means no Millsap for another week.
With the Hawks bench already struggling they are going to have to find some offense from the bench somewhere and give limited rest to their starting five. The Hawks have a good chance to turn their season around tonight in Atlanta against the Suns.
The Suns are not exactly the League’s most explosive offense and the Hawks should be able to hang with them even without Paul Millsap. Dwight Howard is going to be a key player tonight, how many minutes the center can play will directly affect the games results.
With Howard in the game the Hawks seem to be able to stay with their opponents but have struggled when Dwight is on the bench. Tonight’s game is one of the biggest of the Hawks season considering the magnitude of winning games now and the schedule that the Hawks have ahead of them.
The Cleveland Cavs (twice) and Boston Celtics are both still on the Hawks schedule before the playoffs begin and it is doubtful that if the Hawks continue to lose they will turn around against two of the better teams in the NBA. Tonight’s game starts at 7:30 EST against the Suns.