Atlanta Hawks vs. LA Clippers preview: Closing the road trip

The Atlanta Hawks have begun a short, West Coast swing with two consecutive victories, but the scheduling gods were not kind to the team for the third and final contest. On Monday night, the Hawks will face Chris Paul, Blake Griffin and the Los Angeles Clippers in what should be a hotly contested battle.

Atlanta is getting big-time respect nationally, as evidenced by their lofty ranking in ESPN’s latest power poll, but the Hawks are still an underdog in this spot. Still, Los Angeles hasn’t been quite the gauntlet that many predicted this season, and this year’s edition of the Hawks has proven that nothing should be assumed based on home-court advantage.

The two biggest match-ups to follow here are at point guard and power forward. Jeff Teague battles Chris Paul on the perimeter while Paul Millsap combats Blake Griffin, and the winner of those two battles will hold the inside track toward victory. Beyond that, though, the Atlanta Hawks are fully capable of overcoming individual greatness from the opposition, and long-distance shooting can often become the great equalizer in a game like this, especially if the road team defends at a high level.

Be sure to follow us on Twitter (@ATLBeatBlog) for more Atlanta Hawks information leading up to the game and check back after the final buzzer for a full recap.

Atlanta Hawks vs. Los Angeles Clippers preview: Closing the road trip

By Carlos Collazo | Jan 5, 2015