This week, the Hawks will follow up a tough, physical win over the Milwaukee Bucks with a two-game homestand, followed by a trip to Miami for the second half of a Friday/Saturday back-to-back.
MINI-POWER RANKINGS FOR THE UPCOMING WEEK
The Hawks have games this week against:
Dallas (Wednesday | 7:30 PM | Philips Arena | SportSouth, 92.9 The Game | Get Tickets)
Orlando (Friday | 7:30 PM | Philips Arena | SportSouth, 92.9 The Game | Get Tickets)
Miami (Saturday | 7:30 PM | American Airlines Arena | SportSouth, 92.9 The Game)
1. Atlanta: The Hawks hold a lead of 6.5 games over the Toronto Raptors. As far as the feasibility of catching Atlanta goes, Raptors coach Dwane Casey said, "We want to catch them, but we're not going to go crazy and lose sight of getting better. We're competitors. We want to compete to catch them if at all possible, but they're playing at such a high level."
2. Dallas: As of Sunday night, the Mavericks are sitting in the 6th seed in the Western Conference, but they sit just 0.5 games behind the Houston Rockets, who occupy the 3rd seed.
3. Miami: The Goran and Zoran Dragic Show has arrived in South Beach. The Heat had to send out a pair of future first-round picks, as well as Norris Cole, Justin Hamilton, and Shawne Williams, to acquire the brothers from the Phoenix Suns. Forward Chris Bosh is out for the season due to blood clots in his lungs. Get healthy and well soon, Mr. Bosh.
4. Orlando: Opponents of the Magic are converting 62.1% of their shots within five feet of the rim -- the 29th-best mark in the league. Orlando center Nikola Vucevic almost made the All-Star game because of his scoring (19.8 ppg) and rebounding (11.4 rpg), but he hasn't yet proven that he can anchor a defense.
MATCHUP TO WATCH
Dirk Nowitzki vs. Paul Millsap. Looking for a power forward who can stretch the floor with the three-point shot but also get to the line on a regular basis? There are only three power forwards this season who have made 200 trips to the free throw line while making 50 three-pointers: Nowitzki, Millsap and Kevin Love.
SOMETHING SEEN...
This play starts with Kyle Korver drawing two defenders as he curls around a screen. From there, Paul Millsap and DeMarre Carroll refuse to let a rotating Bucks defense catch up to them before Al Horford finishes it.
SOMETHING HEARD...
"The old me would have shot a floater." -- Mike Scott, smiling, after being asked about his improved ability to make effective passes after catching the ball on pick-and-roll plays.
INJURY REPORT
Thabo Sefolosha is out with a right calf strain. He is three weeks into an absence that was estimated to last 6-8 weeks.
DON'T FORGET
The unveiling of the Dominique Wilkins statue is less than two weeks away. Click here to revisit some of the highlights of his career and count down the days remaining until the event.
INTERESTING
When talking about his approach to keeping players rested and healthy this season, head coach Mike Budenholzer has said in the past that he wishes to be proactive in his approach. I asked him what indicators he was using to guide his those types of decisions.
"A lot of it is just kind of gut feel and just watching and observing our players. I don't know that we've really planned anything out per se (for) these last 28 or 30 games. I think we're around each other so much, and there's a lot of hard work that goes into the practices and the film sessions. We just have a good sense and a good feel. And again, when you're being proactive you just have to almost anticipate it and beat it to the punch. We communicate at a pretty high level with our guys. I think our guys know that we really value them being healthy. (It's) a lot of small things: a little bit of gut and a little bit of observation."
ABSURD STAT
NBA.com/Stats has recently added play-type data to its database. One of those play types is the cut, defined as "an interior play where the finisher catches a pass while moving toward, parallel to or slightly away from the basket."
Of the 63 possessions that ended with a DeMarre Carroll "cut", only one ended up being a turnover. He also made 36 of his 56 shot attempts (64.3%) and scored at a rate of 1.33 points per possession (76th percentile).
Story by KL ChouinardTwitter: @AnaheimAmigos