Hawks at Celtics
If the Atlanta Hawks are going to hang onto their playoff spot, they have to take advantage of opportunities like Wednesday's trip to Boston to face the slumping Celtics. The Hawks are still clinging to a 3 1/2-game lead over ninth-place Detroit in the East despite losing nine of 10. The Celtics couldn't get home soon enough after an 0-4 road trip to the West Coast that wrapped up with a 110-98 loss at lowly Utah.
Atlanta has been plagued by injuries and is expected to be without All-Star forward Paul Millsap (knee) for a third straight game. The Celtics also are banged up with forward Jared Sullinger (concussion) and guard Avery Bradley (ankle) expected to remain sidelined. The teams have split the first two meetings this season with the road team winning each.
TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, SportSouth (Atlanta), CSN New England (Boston)
ABOUT THE HAWKS (26-30): Though the results haven't been rosy lately, Atlanta coach Mike Budenholzer wasn't concerned with his team's effort in Tuesday's 107-103 home loss to Chicago. "I thought our group competed at a very high level for 48 minutes tonight," Budenholzer told reporters. "That's what we're looking for, and that's what is most important to us." The Hawks used only seven players for more than three minutes against the Bulls, and they're especially thin at center, where 34-year-old Elton Brand was asked to play nearly 42 minutes.
ABOUT THE CELTICS (19-39): The streaky Celtics are working on their third skid of at least five games this season, and the last three defeats came against the bottom three teams in the Western Conference. "We're just trying to keep our heads up, keep working," rookie center Kelly Olynyk told reporters. "We're banged up." With Bradley and Sullinger on the bench, the Celtics are missing two of the five players who average double-digit scoring.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Hawks SF Kyle Korver has made at least one 3-pointer in an NBA-record 125 consecutive games, 36 games longer than the previous mark.
2. The Celtics are 2-27 when trailing at halftime.
3. Atlanta PF Mike Scott has averaged 20.7 points over the past three games. His season average is 9.8 points.