Suns at Hawks
Amid a stretch run loaded with Eastern Conference teams fighting for playoff positioning, the Atlanta Hawks have one outlier on the schedule. That would be Tuesday night's visit from the Phoenix Suns, who present the rested Hawks with a great chance to break back into the win column.
Atlanta has dropped two straight for the first time in over a month, both losses coming against the East's top teams - Cleveland and Toronto. After Friday's 110-108 overtime loss to the Cavaliers in the opener of a four-game homestand and three days of rest, the Hawks find themselves tied with Boston for third place in the East, a half-game ahead of both Miami and Charlotte. Phoenix has dropped six in a row and still has an outside chance to sink into the basement in the Western Conference, as it entered Monday 3 1/2 games ahead of the last-place Los Angeles Lakers. Suns guard Archie Goodwin hit a 3-pointer with 0.1 seconds left and center Tyson Chandler matched the franchise record with 27 rebounds in a 98-95 win over the Hawks in the first meeting on Jan. 23.
TV: 8 p.m. ET, FSN Arizona (Phoenix), FSN Southeast (Atlanta)
ABOUT THE SUNS (20-57): Ronnie Price has started that last two games with Brandon Knight (sports hernia) on the sidelines, but has not come close to providing the same offensive impact. Price has seven total points on 2-of-13 shooting in that stretch, but interim coach Earl Watson is not overly tempted to rush Knight back for relatively insignificant games. "I can't live with myself putting our players at risk for further injury just to secure a job," Watson told reporters after Sunday's 101-86 loss at home against Utah. "Whatever is best for Brandon is best for our entire program."
ABOUT THE HAWKS (45-32): Forward Kent Bazemore suffered a wrist injury in a fall against the Cavaliers but told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution that he does not expect to miss any time. He had 12 rebounds, six assists and three blocked shots in the setback, while Paul Millsap (29 points) and Jeff Teague (28) carried the offensive load. The Hawks are 0-5 against Cleveland and Toronto and play each of them - as well as Boston - one more time in the final five games.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Hawks C Al Horford is 2-of-15 from 3-point distance in his last five games
2. Suns F Mirza Teletovic has posted consecutive 24-point games.
3. Millsap missed the first encounter due to personal reasons.