Hawks at Nets
The Brooklyn Nets made a statement by holding off defending champion San Antonio on Wednesday and are enjoying a bit of a turnaround with three wins in the last four games. The Nets will try to make it four of five and three in a row when they host the surging Atlanta Hawks on Friday. The Hawks picked up their fourth straight win with a 112-102 road victory at Miami on Wednesday and have taken six of seven to climb up the standings in the Eastern Conference.
Atlanta had to scramble to make the playoffs last spring and would prefer to let the rest of the conference chase them this time around. The Hawks boast one of the best point guard combinations in the league in starter Jeff Teague and backup Dennis Schroder, who continues to grow and scored a career-high 16 points in Wednesday’s win over the Heat. The Nets are strong at the point as well with Deron Williams but are winning of late thanks to the strength of the frontcourt, with Mirza Teletovic stepping up and Brook Lopez getting strong on the boards.
TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, SportSouth (Atlanta), YES (Brooklyn)
ABOUT THE HAWKS (11-6): Schroder recorded a career high in each of the last two games and has scored in double figures in five straight while earning some minutes in crunch time alongside Teague. The German-born Schroder is shooting 59.1 percent from the field in the last five contests and knocked down a pair of 3-pointers against the Heat. “Dennis just keeps on getting better,” Atlanta forward Kyle Korver told reporters. “Mentally, he has grown so much. He is so much more mature and aware of where he’s at - on the court, off the court.”
ABOUT THE NETS (8-9): Teletovic broke out for a season-high 26 points and a career-high 15 rebounds in the win over the Spurs on Wednesday, busting out of a shooting slump in the process. “He told me, ‘Zip your head back together and go and start playing,'” Teletovic told reporters of the message from coach Lionel Hollins. “That’s what he said. He told me to go back to doing what I usually do. Drive more, kick the ball out, share the ball and just let the game come to me.” Teletovic totaled 15 points on 4-of-21 shooting in the previous three contests, including 1-of-12 from 3-point range.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. The road team has taken four of the last five in the series.
2. Brooklyn G Joe Johnson is 5-of-23 from the field in the last two home games.
3. Atlanta F Paul Millsap is 25-of-46 from the floor in the last four games.