Wizards at Hawks
The Atlanta Hawks look to put some distance between themselves and the Washington Wizards when the teams square off in a Southeast Division showdown Sunday. The Hawks are the hottest team in the NBA, reeling off seven consecutive wins - including a 106-103 victory over the Detroit Pistons on Friday - to open up a three-game lead over the Wizards atop the standings. Atlanta has won 10 of its last 11 home games and hopes to beat Washington for the second straight time this season.
The Wizards have rattled off three consecutive victories after losing their previous three games. Washington is coming off an impressive 102-86 win over the Chicago Bulls on Friday night and looks to solve its recent road woes after dropping three of its last four away from the Verizon Center. The Wizards held the division lead for the first two months of the season before being usurped by the Hawks and hope to gain some ground by holding their fourth straight opponent under 92 points.
TV: 3 p.m. ET, CSN Mid-Atlantic (Washington), SportSouth (Atlanta)
ABOUT THE WIZARDS (25-11): John Wall scored 16 points and dished out 12 assists in the win over the Bulls for his 21st double-double of the season, which is good for the league lead along with Anthony Davis and Nikola Vucevic. "It's a great start to what we have to do," Wall told reporters. "Now we have to go into Atlanta and try and get it done there." Marcin Gortat added 21 points and 13 rebounds while Nene produced 15 points and 11 boards as three players finished with double-doubles versus Chicago.
ABOUT THE HAWKS (28-8): Al Horford collected 19 points and 16 rebounds against the Pistons as Atlanta set a franchise record with its seventh consecutive road win. Paul Millsap tallied 17 points while Jeff Teague added 14 and 11 assists to finish with less than 20 points for the first time in seven games. "Guys are still hungry, guys still want to win," Millsap told reporters. "Hopefully this is another day at the office and we go out Sunday and do it again."
BUZZER BEATERS
1. The Hawks have won 11 of the last 12 meetings with the Wizards at Philips Arena.
2. Atlanta has won 21 of its last 23 games.
3. Wall leads the league in assists per game (10.3) and total steals (76).