Hawks at Suns
THE STORY: The Atlanta Hawks are stuck in a rut, especially on offense. The Hawks have dropped five of their last seven while averaging 86.4 points as they visit the Phoenix Suns on Wednesday night. They began their five-game road trip with an 86-78 setback at the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday, shooting 34.4 percent. The Suns have dropped two straight and seem to be the perfect remedy for Atlanta's ailing offense. The Suns have surrendered 105.5 points in the last two games and are resting veterans.
TV: 9 p.m. ET, SSO (Atlanta), FSAZ (Phoenix)
ABOUT THE HAWKS (18-11): Atlanta looked like a sleeper in the Eastern Conference at the end of January - it had run its record to 16-6 and had wins over the Miami Heat and Chicago Bulls on its resume. The Hawks have been a different team in February, topping 90 points only once in seven games. One of those losses came at home against Phoenix, a 99-90 setback on Feb. 6. Atlanta shot 39 percent in that one while allowing the Suns to go off at 52 percent. The Hawks suffered a disappointing 107-87 loss to the Heat on Sunday and showed little effort against the Lakers on Tuesday. Joe Johnson is shooting 37.7 percent over the last four games, including 4 of 21 from beyond the arc.
ABOUT THE SUNS (12-17): Phoenix coach Alvin Gentry gave Steve Nash and Grant Hill the night off on Tuesday to avoid “the possibility of injury.” The Suns have slipped into fourth place in the Pacific Division and have decided not to risk their veterans in the middle of a back-to-back-to-back set. Nash and Hill will likely be back on Wednesday, while Michael Redd and others could get a rest. Phoenix has an opportunity to turn things around with Atlanta, which begins a stretch of 11 of 13 games at home.
BUZZER BEATERS:
1. Phoenix has taken four straight and seven of eight in the series.
2. Johnson, a former Sun, has averaged 18.2 points on 38.1 percent shooting in 15 career games against his old team.
3. Nash has averaged 14 assists in his last three starts.