Bucks at Hawks
The NBA's hottest team hopes to avoid a holiday hangover when the Atlanta Hawks host the Milwaukee Bucks in the first game of a home-and-home set Friday. The Hawks have won 14 of their last 15 games to pull within a half-game of Toronto for the top spot in the Eastern Conference. The Bucks sit sixth in the East but have lost three of four since losing rookie Jabari Parker for the season because of a torn ACL.
The Hawks' five game winning streak has included victories over Eastern Conference contenders Chicago and Cleveland as well as strong Western Conference teams in Houston, Dallas and the Los Angeles Clippers. "Everyone kind of said, 'Let's wait and see who they are when they start playing some tougher teams,' " Hawks guard Kyle Korver told reporters. "We've had a tough little stretch here and I think we've played well. We won some games on the road and obviously it was a big win (over the Clippers)." Atlanta has won seven straight in the series including four in a row at home, where the Hawks have won eight straight overall and are 13-2 this season.
TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, FSN Wisconsin (Milwaukee), SportSouth (Atlanta)
ABOUT THE BUCKS (14-15): Losing Parker (12.3 points, 5.5 rebounds) was a big blow, but Milwaukee's depth should come in handy. The Bucks' bench averages an NBA-best 44.4 points and Jared Dudley has taken on a bigger role since Parker's injury, scoring in double figures off the bench in three straight games. Leading scorer Brandon Knight (18.1 points, 5.3 assists, 4.6 rebounds) has to take on even more of the offensive load now, and the Bucks will need second-year swingman Giannis Antetokounmpo (12.3 points, 5.9 rebounds) to continue his progression.
ABOUT THE HAWKS (21-7): Atlanta doesn't have a star on the same level as many of the league's top teams, but all five starters average double-digit scoring and any can come up big on a given night. It was forward DeMarre Carroll who poured in a career-high 25 points and recorded a double-double in the 107-104 win against the Clippers on Tuesday. Center Al Horford also has come on strong recently, averaging 18.1 points over the past seven games with three 20-point contests.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. The teams will play again at 8:30 p.m. ET on Saturday in Milwaukee.
2. Atlanta is 15-1 when allowing fewer than 100 points, including a 10-0 mark at home.
3. Milwaukee is 8-0 when holding opponents under 90 points.