Bobcats at Hawks
The Atlanta Hawks have gone through quite the roller-coaster over the past few days. They'll look to refocus despite missing one of their top players as they entertain the Charlotte Bobcats on Saturday night in a Southeast Division showdown. Atlanta is coming off a thrilling 127-125 overtime victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers - earned on the strength of Jeff Teague's buzzer-beater - but with be without center Al Horford indefinitely.
The team confirmed Friday night that Horford suffered a complete tear of his right pectoral muscle, an injury that could sideline the All-Star big man for the remainder of the season. It will also jeopardize the Hawks' chances of competing for a top seed in the Eastern Conference. The Bobcats come into Saturday's game relatively healthy, but missed a chance to get to the .500 mark following an 89-85 defeat at the hands of the Oklahoma City Thunder.
TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, SportSouth (Charlotte), SportSouth (Atlanta)
ABOUT THE BOBCATS (14-16): Head coach Steve Clifford was critical of his team's recent defensive woes, suggesting that his players needed to figure out how to get back to the style of play that put Charlotte in position to get to .500 in the first place. And while Friday's outcome wasn't what Clifford wanted, he had to be pleased with the improvement on the defensive end. The Bobcats held the vaunted Thunder offense to less than 42 percent from the field while limiting Reggie Jackson - starting at point guard in place of the injured Russell Westbrook - to 4-of-19 from the field.
ABOUT THE HAWKS (16-13): The loss of Horford is monumental, but Atlanta still has plenty going for it as the team looks to remain among the East's upper echelon. Teague's emergence as one of the top passers in the league has the Hawks sitting atop the NBA at 25.9 assists per game, while contributing to their top-10 rank in points (103.2). And while not as solid defensively as Horford, free-agent addition Paul Millsap has been a major contributor on the offensive end, averaging 16.8 points - second on the team - along with 8.3 rebounds and 1.6 steals.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Atlanta has won nine consecutive meetings, scoring more than 100 points eight times over that stretch.
2. Millsap averages 10.9 points in 13 career games versus the Bobcats.
3. Horford, who missed four months with the same injury two years ago, leads the team with 18.6 points and 8.4 rebounds in 25 games.