Atlanta Hawks hope to continue hot streak, get revenge against Denver Nuggets
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Atlanta Hawks forward De'Andre Hunter has been valuable off the bench, trailing only Trae Young with 20.6 points per game.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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DENVER – The Atlanta Hawks have had a streaky start to the first third of the National Basketball Association (NBA) season and are currently trending upwards heading into a New Year’s Day (Jan 2, Singapore time) road matchup with the Denver Nuggets.
They have won four in a row, and the next game brings a chance at payback against the Nuggets.
Denver won the first meeting between the teams, 141-111 on Dec 8, which ended the Hawks’ six-game winning streak.
Atlanta were 7-11 after a loss to Dallas on Nov 25 but have won 11 of 15 since.
Their surge over the last five weeks has been fueled by Trae Young, who leads the team in scoring (22 points) and assists (12.1) per game. Meanwhile, Jalen Johnson grabs a team-best 10.2 rebounds per game to complement his 19.9 scoring average.
De’Andre Hunter has been valuable off the bench for the Hawks, trailing only Young with 20.6 points per game.
“We need big moments from certain guys, and Dre has been doing great for us,” Young said. “That’s Sixth Man of the Year right there too. So, we got a couple of guys that can win some awards if we keep winning.”
Denver’s Russell Westbrook could also have a case to win the Sixth Man award.
Injuries have pushed him into the starting line-up in 10 of the 31 games. A player has to come off the bench in more games than he starts to be eligible for the award.
Westbrook is averaging 12.1 points, 6.5 assists and 4.5 rebounds and is coming off his 201st career triple-double in a win at Utah on Dec 30.
He scored 16 points without missing a shot from the field (seven-of-seven) or foul line (two-for-two) and had no turnovers. He has struggled with his outside shooting at times, but his energy has been a catalyst for Denver.
“He came here for one reason, that’s to help us win a championship,” coach Michael Malone said. “He hates to lose. And that’s what I also love about him, is that he’s built the right way. I’ll go to war with Russell Westbrook any day.”
Westbrook has started the last three games with Aaron Gordon sidelined with a right calf strain.
He has proven his worth, but the Nuggets are led by Nikola Jokic, who is tied for second in the NBA in scoring (31 points per game) and third in rebounds (12.9 per game) and assists (9.5 per game) as he makes a case for his fourth MVP. REUTERS
