Paul Millsap is active versus Denver Nuggets tonight

Paul Millsap was at this morning’s shoot around and will start for the Atlanta Hawks tonight after missing Saturday night’s game against the Phoenix Suns.

The Atlanta Hawks will have their best player back with them in their game Monday night at the Pepsi Center versus the Denver Nuggets, as All-Star power forward Paul Millsap rejoins the team after spending the weekend in Louisiana to attend his grandfather’s funeral.

While Millsap was with the Hawks in Phoenix in spirit Saturday night, his team lost to the reeling Phoenix Suns, 98-95 on a last-second buzzer-beating three-pointer by starting Phoenix point guard Archie Goodwin.

Though bench power forward Mike Scott picked up the slack on offense and Al Horford did a fine job on the glass in Millsap’s absence, Atlanta needed its star player in crunch time, but ultimately came up short against the Suns on Saturday night in the Arizona desert.

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Atlanta sits in fourth place in the Eastern Conference standings, 5.5 games back of the first-place Cleveland Cavaliers and mere percentage points behind the Chicago Bulls for third place. The Hawks hold a 2.5 game lead over the Miami Heat in the Southeast Division entering play Monday night.

While Atlanta has lost its last two games by a combined six points, the Hawks are becoming better team defensively in the second half of the 2015-16 NBA season. Atlanta has not allowed 100 points in its last five games, the longest such streak on the season for the Hawks. The Hawks are sixth in the NBA in team defensive rating at 103.0 points per 100 possession and eighth in the NBA in points allowed per game at 99.8.

Paul Millsap has been a focal point of both the Atlanta Hawks’ offensive and defensive success this season. He leads the Atlanta Hawks in points per game (18.4), rebounds per game (8.8), and steals per game (1.9). Millsap is the team’s most efficient player, leading the Hawks in PER (23.6), offensive rating (114), defensive rating (98), win shares (6.4), and VORP (2.9).

Even for a team that is certainly bound for the NBA Playoffs like the 2015-16 Atlanta Hawks, it’s still hard to win on the road, especially without its best player available. Getting back Paul Millsap will go along way in helping the Atlanta Hawks snap their two-game losing streak and hopefully finish their current West Coast road trip on a positive note by heading back to Atlanta with a 2-2 record away from Philips Arena this past week.

Next: Atlanta Hawks to close out West Coast trip vs. Nuggets

Our condolences go out to the Millsap Family, wishing Paul and his family the best during these tough times. We’re glad to have the Anchorman back in the starting lineup after spending the weekend in Louisiana with his family. Let’s Go Hawks!

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