ATLANTA – Buoyed by a two-game winning run and recent reinforcements, the Atlanta Hawks hope to ride the momentum when they meet the Golden State Warriors on what could be a big day for the Curry family on Jan 11 (Jan 12 morning, Singapore time).
Getting a first career triple-double from Dyson Daniels in his new role of running the show in place of the traded Trae Young, the Hawks launched a fourth-quarter surge to bury the Denver Nuggets 110-87 on Jan 9 to open a four-game Western swing in the NBA (National Basketball Association).
Victory at Denver’s Ball Arena came without Kristaps Porzingis (strained Achilles) and Zaccharie Risacher (sore left knee), and with C.J. McCollum and Corey Kispert acquired on the same day from the Washington Wizards in exchange for Young, a four-time All-Star guard.
All four could be in uniform at the Golden State’s Chase Center home on Jan 11.
With Daniels calling the shots both offensively and defensively, the Hawks responded with their fewest points conceded this season in the win over the Nuggets.
“The more aggressive we can be, that helps our group,” Hawks coach Quin Snyder said after the win. “That mentality is something we’ve talked about and can get better at.”
Hawks-Warriors games in recent years have been high-scoring. The teams have split their last eight meetings, with the winning team putting up an average of 129.6 points.
Four of those last eight meetings featured a head-to-head between the offensive-minded Young and Stephen Curry, with the Golden State star averaging 35.6 points in those duels. The stretch included 50 points in a home win in 2021 and 60 in a road victory in 2024.
Curry enters this match-up on a roll, having averaged 29.8 points on 40 per cent three-point shooting in 13 games since returning from a bruised left quad.
The flurry has allowed his father-son career points total with dad Dell to reach 38,889, just six shy of second place on the NBA all-time list. They can pass Joe and Kobe Bryant (38,895) with seven points against the Hawks, which would leave them chasing only LeBron and Bronny James.
Curry had 27 points as part of his second double-double of the season with 10 assists in a 137-103 blowout home win over the Sacramento Kings on Jan 9. It was Golden State’s second straight win at the beginning of an eight-game homestand.
Warriors coach Steve Kerr assured reporters after the victory that his team’s recent surge of eight wins in 11 games is not dependent on Curry only.
“We’re in a good groove with our rotation,” he noted, singling out De’Anthony Melton (19 points) and Al Horford (nine) among a reserve crew that totalled 66 points against the Kings.
“It helps to have Melt and Al both healthy and playing well; it feels like the version of the team that we expected. We’re getting into a good groove.”
If McCollum makes his Hawks debut, he certainly won’t be a stranger to the Warriors. Having spent his first 8½ seasons in Portland, the veteran has faced Golden State 33 times in the regular season and 13 more in the play-offs.
Separately, Sacramento Kings guard Dennis Schroder was suspended three games without pay for confronting and attempting to strike a player after a game, the NBA announced on Jan 10.
The NBA didn’t divulge the identity of the player Schroder confronted, but it was reportedly Lakers star Luka Doncic.
The NBA said the discipline stems from an incident that occurred approximately 40 minutes after the Kings lost 125-101 away to Los Angeles Lakers on Dec 28.
The league said Schroder sought out the player in an arena hallway and initiated a confrontation.
During the contest, Schroder and Doncic had a testy exchange.
Schroder will begin serving the suspension on Jan 11 when the Kings host the Houston Rockets. He will also miss the rematch with the Lakers the following day and a third straight home opponent in the New York Knicks on Jan 14.
Sacramento (8-30) possess the second-worst record in the league.
Schroder is averaging 13.0 points, 5.7 assists and 3.3 rebounds in 31 games (12 starts) this season. He had 11 points and seven assists in 19 minutes against the Lakers in the Dec 28 game. Doncic had 34 points in 33 minutes.
Schroder, 32, is with his 10th team in 13 NBA seasons. He has career averages of 13.9 points and 4.9 assists in 873 games (436 starts). REUTERS
NBAGolden State WarriorsStephen Curry