Hawks at Warriors
The Golden State Warriors have had three days to recuperate from an agonizing loss, while the Atlanta Hawks seek their second consecutive road victory when the teams meet Wednesday. Golden State had a chance to move to .500 before losing 107-101 to the Denver Nuggets in double overtime last Saturday. The Warriors had a five-point lead and watched Denver score the final 11 points. Atlanta beat the Portland Trail Blazers on Monday.
The Hawks are averaging just 87.3 points over their last four games but have won two of them. Atlanta has scored under 90 three times during the stretch. The Hawks finish a four-game road swing on Friday against the Sacramento Kings. Golden State has lost two straight games and could use a victory against the Hawks because four of their next five contests will on the road, including stops in Oklahoma City and Dallas.
TV: 10:30 p.m. ET, SportsSouth (Atlanta), Comcast SportsNet Bay Area (Golden State)
ABOUT THE HAWKS (3-3): Forward Josh Smith is dealing with a stomach illness, but you wouldn’t have known that by his strong performance in Monday’s victory over Portland. Smith had 19 points and 11 rebounds for his second double-double of the season. Smith was sent back to the team hotel earlier in the day to rest and his tenacity helped Atlanta keep its composure and go on a key 15-2 fourth-quarter run. “We didn’t get rattled,” Smith said. “We took our time, even when they took the lead, and we figured out a way to score the basketball down the stretch.”
ABOUT THE WARRIORS (3-4): Letting the second-overtime lead get away against the Nuggets highly irritated forward David Lee, who had 18 points and nine rebounds. Golden State is intent on making an upward move in the standings this season, and the collapse against Denver isn’t the way to go about it. “We had the lead a couple times in late-game situations, and our inexperience showed,” Lee said. “If we even play halfway decent, it’s not a game to begin with. It’s very frustrating.”
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Golden State won the last meeting back in February to snap a three-game losing streak against Atlanta.
2. Hawks center Al Horford had 15 points and 10 rebounds against the Trail Blazers for his second double-double of the season.
3. The Warriors have shot less than 40 percent in each of their last two games.