Atlanta Hawks Retire Mutombo’s Number vs. Celtics
The Atlanta Hawks will immortalize Dikembe Mutombo‘s number 55 in the Philips Arena rafters at half-time as they welcome the Boston Celtics to town.
Dikembe Mutombo, a key member of Lenny Wilkin’s Hawks in the 1990’s, will forever become a part of Atlanta Hawks lore on Tuesday as a throng of Hawks faithful will honor the center’s contributions to the team and the city of Atlanta on Tuesday. This is another great move by Steve Koonin and the rest of the Atlanta front-office to honor the team’s past.
-= Related: Atlanta Hawks: 4 Observations from Loss to Cavs =-
The Atlanta Hawks are facing some early season adversity after beginning the season 8-1 and winning 7 consecutive games. In their past 7 games, the Atlanta Hawks are 1-6 and are coming off a humbling defeat at the hands of the Cleveland Cavaliers this past Saturday. Paul Millsap and Kyle Korver led the Atlanta Hawks with 14 points a piece, while Jeff Teague and Thabo Sefolosha also added 13 points.
More from ATL All Day
- Atlanta Braves: Felix Has Already Shown Enough to Win a Rotation Spot
- Atlanta Braves Implode Late To Phillies, Cole Hamels Remains Sidelined
- Kyle Wright Shines As Folty Struggles In Atlanta Braves Loss To Red Sox
- Atlanta Hawks Sweep Back-to-Back Games Over Weekend
- Atlanta Braves: Grapefruit League Play Check Up
In their last meeting with the Boston Celtics, the Atlanta Hawks fell at the TD Garden 106-93, as Isaiah Thomas carved up the Hawks for 23 points on the night. The Hawks also had trouble with Jared Sullinger and Amir Johnson in frontcourt, and it would not surprise me if Mike Budenholzer used Tiago Splitter extensively, should he play following a hip injury suffered in Saturday’s game at Cleveland.
The Boston Celtics will not have the services of guard Marcus Smart, as the second-year player suffered a lower leg injury on Friday against the Nets and will miss almost a month. This helps the Atlanta Hawks and most notably Kyle Korver, who will not have to deal with Marcus Smart trailing him defensively.
Both Tiago Splitter’s and Kent Bazemore‘s status is up in the air according to the AJC’s Chris Vivlamore:
Tiago Splitter and Kent Bazemore did not participate in practice today. CMB said he would know more closer to game time tomorrow
— Chris Vivlamore (@CVivlamoreAJC) November 23, 2015
It’s not encouraging that both players did not participate in practice on Monday, but that could change quickly. The addition of Kent Bazemore back into the starting lineup would benefit the Atlanta Hawks greatly, and provide a morale boost going into Tuesday’s game.
Next: Walter Tavares: Could Rookie Help Improve Hawks Rebounding?
The Atlanta Hawks will have to improve their rebounding efforts if they hope to knock off the Celtics; but coming home to the friendly confines of Philips Arena may help the team get back into the win column. Tuesday’s game begins another stretch of 4 games in 5 days for the Atlanta Hawks, so it’s imperative that they are able to secure a win before facing three consecutive games on the road. Tip-off is at 8:00 PM.