Kings at Hawks
With five wins in their last six home games, the Atlanta Hawks look to take advantage of a struggling adversary when the Sacramento Kings visit on Wednesday. Atlanta recorded its highest scoring game of the season Monday, knocking off the visiting Los Angeles Lakers 114-100 in a game that center Elton Brand saw as a highlight of the young season. "I think, overall … this was our best effort," he told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Sacramento has fallen in three of its last four and now may be without recent acquisition Rudy Gay, who left Tuesday's loss at Charlotte with stiffness in his right knee. Gay, who totaled 50 points in his first two games with the Kings after a trade with Toronto earlier this month, departed late in the third quarter against the Bobcats and did not return, though he sounded optimistic after the game about not missing much time. "I'll get treatment," Gay told the Sacramento Bee, "and shoot for trying to start (Wednesday)."
TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, CSN California (Sacramento)
ABOUT THE KINGS (7-16): Leading scorer DeMarcus Cousins, who is averaging more than 23 points in December, finished with 30 in the loss to Charlotte on Tuesday, and if Gay is out, Sacramento will have no choice but to lean on its 6-11, 270-pound center. Isaiah Thomas has been hot lately, averaging 23.2 points in his last six games to go with 6.8 assists. Cousins has six double-doubles in his last seven games.
ABOUT THE HAWKS (13-12): After turning the ball over 27 times in a loss to the New York Knicks on Saturday, Atlanta cleaned it up against the Lakers, coughing up the ball 10 times overall and not at all during a crucial 35-19 third quarter. Center Al Horford, who leads the Hawks with 17.8 points and 8.4 rebounds, went for 19 points and 11 boards against Los Angeles and had his best game of the season Friday, scoring 34 in a win over Washington. Alongside Horford, Paul Millsap's 16.6 points and 8.1 rebounds per game give Atlanta a formidable duo down low.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Kings G Ben McLemore is 6-of-35 from the field in his last five games.
2. Sacramento allows opponents 101.7 points per game — tied with Minnesota for 24th in the league.
3. Atlanta F Kyle Korver extended his NBA record to 94 consecutive games with at least one 3-pointer, sinking 3-of-8 from long range on Monday.