Hawks at Wizards
THE STORY: The Atlanta Hawks are entering one of the more grueling portions of their schedule, playing the second of a back-to-back-to-back when they visit the Washington Wizards on Saturday night. Friday night’s victory over the New Jersey Nets started a stretch where the Hawks will play seven games in nine days. The Wizards have been an accommodating opponent for Atlanta, having dropped 14 of the last 15 meetings.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, SportSouth (Atlanta), CSW (Washington)
ABOUT THE HAWKS (28-20): Atlanta has won four of five after rallying for the second straight game in beating New Jersey. Josh Smith turned in his second monster performance in a row with 30 points and 12 boards, coming on the heels of his 32-point, 17-rebound effort Wednesday. It marked the third consecutive double-double for Smith, who has four 30-point games and has been held under 20 points only three times in 12 contests this month. He is averaging a career-high 18 points.
ABOUT THE WIZARDS (11-35): Washington is kicking off a back-to-back-to-back Saturday, and is still kicking itself after blowing a 22-point lead to Indiana on Thursday night. Guard Jordan Crawford has averaged 22 points in the last three games, but he continues to struggle from long range. Crawford has connected on only eight of 32 3-point attempts in his last six games. Center Nene has a quiet encore following his stellar debut with the Wizards, managing only six points and five rebounds.
BUZZER BEATERS:
1. Atlanta has won both meetings this season with an average victory margin of 16 points.
2. The Wizards have not won consecutive games since Feb. 12-14.