The Atlanta Hawks continue their quest for a top-six finish in the Eastern Conference when they play host to the Golden State Warriors at the State Farm Arena on Saturday night.
While the Warriors are in red-hot form, they journey to Georgia where they have lost each of their last five visits since December 2018 and will be looking to end this seven-year spell.
Match preview
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The Atlanta Hawks made 22 of 45 3-pointers and shot 53% from the field on Tuesday night as they powered past the Charlotte Hornets 134-102 when the two sides squared off at the Spectrum Center.
Trae Young (5) and Zaccharie Risacher (5) contributed 10 of the Hawks' 22 shots from beyond the arc, with the latter finishing with 21 points while Young tallied a team-high 31 points, two rebounds and eight assists to lead Atlanta to a blowout victory.
Prior to that, the Hawks saw their run of four back-to-back victories come to an end on March 15, when they fell to a 121-98 defeat against the Los Angeles Clippers, four days before falling 122-114 against the Brooklyn Nets at the Barclays Center.
Wednesday's victory was a much-needed result in their push for sixth place in the East as Quin Snyder's men have failed to secure an automatic playoff berth in each of the last three seasons since finishing fifth in the 2020-21 campaign.
Atlanta Hawks hold a 33-36 record from their 69 regular-season games so far to sit seventh in the Eastern Conference standings, six wins adrift of sixth-placed Detroit Pistons, albeit with one game in hand.
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Like Saturday's hosts, the Golden State Warriors continue their hot pursuit of a playoff berth in the West as they rolled past the Toronto Raptors 117-114 at the Chase Center on Thursday night.
Off the back of a standout individual defensive display against Giannis Antetokounmpo in the win over the Milwaukee Bucks, Draymond Green put on a show in offense as he knocked down a team-high 21 points while Jimmy Butler dropped 16 points, 11 rebounds and 12 assists to record his third triple-double of the campaign.
The Golden State Warriors had seen their run of seven consecutive victories come to an end on March 18, when they fell to a 114-105 against the Denver Nuggets, 24 hours before bouncing back in a 104-93 victory over the Bucks.
Steve Kerr's men are now 16-3 from their last 19 games since the first week of February, a run which has seen them improve to a 41-39 record this season and surge into sixth-place in the Western Conference table, two wins behind fifth-placed Memphis Grizzlies.
The Warriors now bring their seven-game homestand to an end this weekend as they make the trip to the State Farm Arena, where they have lost each of their last five visits, stretching back to a 128-111 victory in December 2018.
However, Golden State will head into the weekend with plenty of optimism as they are on a run of six wins from their most recent seven games on the road, with the 114-105 loss against the Nuggets on March 18 being the exception.
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Team News
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The Atlanta Hawks remain without the services of Jalen Johnson and Bufkin Kobe, who are both confirmed to miss the remainder of the 2024-25 season through shoulder injuries.
Larry Nance Jr. has been sidelined since February through a knee problem and is set to be re-evaluated next week while Caris LeVert is a doubt, having missed the win over the Hornets due to right knee soreness.
Experienced center Clint Capela has missed each of the last four games due to personal reasons and the 30-year-old is considered day-to-day heading into this weekend's clash.
Stephen Curry dropped 16 points in 25 minutes of action before coming off with a pelvis injury against the Raptors last time out and the Golden State Warriors' offensive leader will be assessed ahead of Sunday's showdown.
Gary Payton II missed the game against the Toronto Raptors due to a knee problem and the 32-year-old guard is also considered day-to-day ahead of this weekend's trip to the State Farm Arena.
Atlanta Hawks possible starting 5:
Young, Daniels, Okongwu, Risacher, Gueye
Golden State Warriors possible starting 5:
Podziemski, Moody, Green, Post, Butler
We say: The Golden State Warriors to win by 7+ points.
The Golden State Warriors have put together a run of nine wins from their last 10 games but need to be at their best against the Atlanta Hawks, who have been rock-solid on home court in recent weeks. While we expect the Hawks to put up a fight, we are backing Kerr's men to get the job done and continue their high-flying form.
Joshua Ojele
