After winning three out of four last week, the Atlanta Hawks get to spend this entire week in their own beds. Only two games are on the schedule, and both are at home.
OPPONENTS
Tuesday: Los Angeles Lakers
Details: 7:30 p.m. (ET) | Philips Arena | SportSouth, 92.9 The Game | Get Tickets
The Los Angeles Lakers make their only visit to Philips Arena early this season. The Lakers are in unfamiliar territory: 1-9 and seemingly in the midst of a rebuild. They were dealt a huge blow when first-round pick and bolstering prospect Juliuis Randle broke his leg on opening night, forcing him to miss this entire season. Steve Nash is also out for the year, so L.A. is relying heavily, some say too heavily, on Kobe Bryant to carry the offensive load. Bryant has scored, but he's done so at the expense of consuming a large percentage of the team's shots. It's a great strategy if you're shooting 50 percent, but Bryant is just a shade under 38. It gets worse for the Lakers on defense, where they're ranked last in the league in efficiency and are allowing 112 points per contest. Do they have talent? Absolutely. Bryant, Carlos Boozer, Jeremy Lin and Nick Young have all found success in their careers. The Lakers are hoping they can put it all together soon.
Friday: Detroit Pistons
Details: 7:30 p.m. (ET) | Philips Arena | SportSouth, 92.9 The Game | Get Tickets
Stan Van Gundy said after a recent road win in Oklahoma City that he likes the fight in his team. The Pistons look much different under Van Gundy, with an offense less focused on isolated post-ups and more focused on floor spacing and movement. Sure, they still have two beasts down low in Greg Monroe and Andre Drummond, but Van Gundy is figuring out how to use the other guys to compliment them. Van Gundy has also tinkered with bringing Greg Monroe off the bench so he can use Josh Smith at the floor and have a more dangerous perimeter attack, though he did start Monroe, Smith and Drummond together on Saturday. Where the Pistons struggle offensively is on the perimeter. Though they did add some nice offseason pieces to the bench, there isn't a lot of shooting depth. Defensively, the Hawks need to be disciplined, force perimeter jump shots and, when possible, double the post to force one of those big bodies to kick it back outside.
MATCHUP TO WATCH
DeMarre Carroll vs. Josh Smith. Both players play a tough, physical style, so this one should be interesting if Carroll is healthy and Smith starts at small forward.
IT PROBABLY WON'T HAPPEN, BUT WE HOPE IT DOES...
The Hawks will make 11 straight threes. Pay it forward, right Cleveland?
IT PROBABLY WILL HAPPEN, BUT WE HOPE IT DOESN'T...
Kobe Bryant will take 50 shots and make them all. Because that would just be so fitting.
INJURY REPORT
DeMarre Carroll (Strained Groin): He has missed the past three games and is listed as questionable for Tuesday.
INTERESTING...
The Hawks have won their first four home games for the first time in five years.
ABSURD STATISTIC
Kyle Korver is shooting 57.7 percent from three-point range this season. He is the all-time single season leader in that category...at 53%.
POWER RANKINGS
Here's where the various sports websites have us in their rankings this week:
FROM THE FANS