Grizzlies at Hawks
Division leaders and potential championship contenders square off when the Atlanta Hawks host the Memphis Grizzlies on Wednesday. The Hawks have won five straight and 19 of their last 21 to claim the best start in club history and surge to the top of the Eastern Conference standings. The Grizzlies - also off to the best start in franchise history and sitting third in the West - swept two meetings with Atlanta last season.
In case there was any doubt left about Atlanta's status as a legitimate title contender, the Hawks' five-game winning streak includes a home victory over Cleveland and road wins over Milwaukee, Utah, Portland and the Los Angeles Clippers — all teams in position to make the playoffs. "Right now, Atlanta has unshakable confidence," Clippers coach Doc Rivers told reporters after his team's 107-98 loss to the Hawks on Monday. The Grizzlies have won four of five and rebounded from a lopsided loss at Denver with an easy 105-83 home win over the depleted New York Knicks on Monday.
TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, SportSouth (Memphis, Atlanta)
ABOUT THE GRIZZLIES (25-9): Memphis has stayed near the top of the Western Conference ranks despite playing without power forward Zach Randolph (16.1 points, 11.4 rebounds), who has missed eight straight games with a sore right knee and is questionable against Atlanta. The duo of point guard Mike Conley (18.1 points, 6.1 assists) and center Marc Gasol (19.8 points, 8.2 rebounds) has carried the team in Randolph's absence. The Grizzlies haven't been as sound defensively as in recent years and are especially susceptible on the perimeter, allowing opponents to hit 36.2 percent from 3-point range.
ABOUT THE HAWKS (26-8): Atlanta hasn't been in first place in the East this late in the season since 1993-94, and the Hawks have tied a single-season franchise mark with eight straight wins against Western Conference foes. They're doing it with a balanced attack — all five starters average double-digit scoring with point guard Jeff Teague (17.4 points, 7.1 assists) and power forward Paul Millsap (17.2 points, 8.1 rebounds) leading the way. The Hawks also are fairly stingy, ranking fifth in the NBA in scoring defense (97.6), sixth in field-goal defense (43.9 percent) and eighth in 3-point field-goal defense (34.3).
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Memphis is 19-1 when it shoots for higher percentage than its opponent.
2. Teague has scored 20 or more points in five straight games, matching the longest streak of his career.
3. Gasol's 17 games with 20 or more points already match his career high set during the 2012-13 season.