Seeking a fifth win on the spin, the Atlanta Hawks get the ball rolling in the new year when they go head to head with the Denver Nuggets at the Ball Arena on Thursday.
While the hosts have blown hot and cold in the final weeks leading up to the new year, Atlanta head into Thursday's clash on a run of four back-to-back wins and will look to continue their surge in the Eastern Conference standings.
Match preview
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The Denver Nuggets wrapped up their schedule for 2024 in style as they rolled past the Utah Jazz 132-121 when the two sides squared off at the Delta Center on Monday night.
All five Nuggets' starters finished with double figures, led by floor general Nikola Jokic, who tallied 36 points, 11 assists and 22 rebounds to cap off a dominant individual display and record his 13th triple-double of the campaign.
Russell Westbrook also put in a solid shift at the Delta Center as he went 7-of-7 from the fiend and finished with 16 points to go with 10 rebounds and 10 assists while Jamal Murray dropped a 20-point 10-assist double-double.
This followed a 134-121 victory over the Detroit Pistons in their final home game for 2024 on December 29, having suffered back-to-back defeats against the Phoenix Suns and Cleveland Cavaliers in the previous two outings.
Michael Malone's men picked up eight wins from their 14 outings since the start of December and now hold a 18-13 record for the season as they sit sixth in the Western Conference standings, just above seventh-placed Los Angeles Lakers.
The Nuggets will be backing themselves to continue from where they left off against the Jazz and launch the new year on a high as they take on an opposing side who have lost each of their most recent four regular-season clashes since a 117-109 victory in December 2022.
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On the other hand, the Atlanta Hawks continue to surge in the Eastern Conference power ranking as they stormed to a 136-107 blowout victory over the Toronto Raptors to close the year on a high.
Trae Young shook off a poor shooting display against the Miami Heat from two nights earlier as he knocked down 34 points at the Scotiabank Arena to go with 10 assists as he inspired Atlanta to a dominant victory.
Young was one of seven Hawks players to finish with double digits, including De'Andre Hunter's 22, Jalen Johnson's 15 and 11 from Clint Capela, who also added 12 rebounds to record his seventh double-double of the campaign.
Atlanta have now picked up four wins from each of their last four outings, brushing aside the Minnesota Timberwolves, the Chicago Bulls, the Miami Heats and the Raptors, having lost four of their five matches preceding this run.
This strong end to the year has seen Quin Snyder's men improve to a 18-15 record from their 33 games and move into fifth-place in the Eastern Conference standings, just below fourth-placed Orlando Magic.
Thursday's clash will be the second of a six-game road swing for Atlanta and it is worth noting that the Hawks have won five of their last seven away matches since November 28, with the two defeats coming at the hands of the Milwaukee Bucks and the San Antonio Spurs.
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Team News
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Denver Nuggets remain without the services of forward Vlatko Cancar, who is set to be re-evaluated in mid-January after undergoing surgery over a knee injury.
He is joined in the injury table by veteran forward Aaron Gordon, who has missed each of the last three games since sustaining a calf problem in the Boxing Day clash against the Phoenix Suns.
As for the Hawks, Larry Nance Jr is set to undergo surgery after suffering a fractured metacarpal bone in his right hand and the experienced forward is ruled out of Thursday's clash.
Bogdan Bogdanovic missed the game against the Raptors through a leg injury while Kobe Bufkin has been ruled out for the remainder of the 2024-25 season after sustaining a severe shoulder injury.
Dyson Daniels was also absent from the aforementioned game due to illness and is considered day-to-day while Cody Zeller is yet to feature for the Hawks since his switch from the New Orleans Pelicans in July.
Denver Nuggets possible starting 5:
Murray, Braun, Westbrook, Jokic, Porter Jr
Atlanta Hawks possible starting 5:
Young, Johnson, Capela, Krejci, Risacher
We say: Denver Nuggets to win by 5+ points.
While the Denver Nuggets have struggled for consistency in recent weeks, two hard-fought victories over the Pistons and the Jazz in their final two games in 2024 could serve as a catalyst for a solid run to start the new year.
The Atlanta Hawks have hit their stride of late, but while we expect them to put up a fight, we fancy Malone's men to extend their recent dominance in this fixture and make it five straight regular-season wins against the visitors.
Joshua Ojele
