Nets at Hawks
The Atlanta Hawks are struggling to defend home court and now are forced to contend with some issues in the locker room as they head into a matchup with the visiting Brooklyn Nets on Wednesday. A 119-111 loss to the Golden State Warriors on Monday was Atlanta's seventh setback in its last 11 games at home - including three in a row.
That stretch has left the fifth-place team in the East with a better record on the road (17-14) than at home (17-15) - the only team in the conference that can stake that claim - and the benching of point guard Dennis Schroder on Monday has added to the team's woes. "I don't understand (coach Mike Budenholzer's) decision," Schroder told reporters after he was sent to the bench following an errant pass and an on-court argument with center Dwight Howard, all while the Warriors were making a 3-pointer. "Maybe I'm too competitive, I don't know. I'm just trying to be competitive, trying to win games. But I don't get that one." Despite playing just 24 minutes, Schroder still led the Hawks with 23 points as the squad fell for the sixth time in eight games overall. Normally the NBA-worst Nets would be a welcoming sight for a team needing to snap out of a slump, but they pulled off a shocking 13-point victory at Memphis on Monday and have picked up two of their four road wins on the season since March began.
TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, YES (Brooklyn), FSN Southeast (Atlanta)
ABOUT THE NETS (11-51): Brooklyn is obviously a different team when Jeremy Lin is healthy, and he continued to show improvement since returning from a lengthy absence due to a hamstring issue with 18 points against Memphis. "He had some big shots and he made some big shots," coach Kenny Atkinson told the media. "But I thought everyone contributed. It was really a team victory." The Nets are 5-13 with Lin in the lineup and 6-38 without the former Harvard star, who is averaging 18 points in 23 minutes his last two games.
ABOUT THE HAWKS (34-29): When on the court, Schroder has been excellent of late, shooting 52 percent while averaging 19.2 points over a five-game span. Tim Hardaway Jr., who recently returned to a reserve role when Thabo Sefolosha came back from injury, is averaging 26.3 points in his last three contests after providing 19 in the loss to the Warriors. Howard, who had 14 points and 16 boards in a 20-point win at Brooklyn earlier in the season, ranks fourth in the NBA in rebounds (12.9) and shooting (63.9 percent) entering Tuesday.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Hawks F Paul Millsap is averaging 23.3 points and 9.7 rebounds in his last three contests.
2. Atlanta has won four straight regular-season meetings at home.
3. Nets G Randy Foye made all four of his 3-point attempts versus Memphis and is 8-for-11 over a four-game stretch.