Hawks at Raptors
The Atlanta Hawks are trying to separate themselves from the pack in the race for the No. 3 spot in the Eastern Conference and have done their best with wins in four straight games. The Hawks will try to make it five in a row when they visit the team directly in front of them in the standings, the Toronto Raptors, on Wednesday.
Toronto does not have to worry much about Atlanta with a five-game cushion on the No. 3 spot but would like to be playing better as it preps for the playoffs. The Raptors were trounced 119-100 at home by the Oklahoma City Thunder on Monday and have dropped three of their last four with All-Star point guard Kyle Lowry ailing. The Hawks are one game ahead of the fourth-place Miami Heat and 1 1/2 up on the fifth-place Boston Celtics after knocking off the Chicago Bulls 102-100 on Monday to pick up their 14th win in the last 17 games. Atlanta will have to earn the No. 3 spot with a tough closing schedule that includes two games against the Raptors, two against the East-leading Cavaliers and one against the Celtics.
TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, NBATV, FSN Southeast (Atlanta), TSN (Toronto)
ABOUT THE HAWKS (45-30): Atlanta has gone over the century mark in each of its last nine games and credited the pace with helping them edge the Bulls on Monday. “We played with a lot of pace tonight,” point guard Jeff Teague told reporters after the win. “It played into our hands, playing a little faster. Those guys have so many big guys and we were able to get in the paint and make plays.” Teague and backup Dennis Schroder combined for 40 points in the win, with all of those points coming from inside the 3-point arc.
ABOUT THE RAPTORS (49-24): Lowry had his inflamed right elbow drained after Monday’s loss and is shooting 26.2 percent from the field in his last four games. “We just drained it,” Lowry told reporters. “We thought it would calm down over the next few days … hopefully we get a good reaction to it. I’m not going to make no excuses, but it’s definitely something I don’t want to play with. I don’t like playing with (it). But it is what it is. This time of year, you just play through it.” Lowry is even struggling at the free-throw line, connecting on 60.4 percent of his tries in his last five games.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Raptors F Patrick Patterson is 14-of-20 from the field in the last three games.
2. Atlanta G Tim Hardaway Jr. is 2-of-16 in the last two contests.
3. Toronto has taken the last three meetings by an average of 14.3 points.