THE SPORTS ExchangeHawks going for 4th straight as they host hot Pacers
The Atlanta Hawks shoot for a season-long four-game winning streak on Wednesday night, but they'll have to do it against the Indiana Pacers, one of the hottest teams in the Eastern Conference.
Atlanta (9-23) hosts the Pacers on the heels of their 98-95 win over Detroit, which gave the young Hawks their third straight victory. Indiana (22-12) has won two straight and nine of its last 11 after beating Washington 105-89 on Sunday.
The Hawks survived against the Pistons, despite being without John Collins, the team's leading scorer (18.5 points) and rebounder (9.9). The second-year forward missed the game with a left ankle sprain and will be re-evaluated on Wednesday morning. Collins has posted a double-double in eight of his last nine games.
With Collins ailing, the Hawks were able to lean on veteran Vince Carter. He scored a season-high 18 points and helped offset the loss of production provided by Collins.
The Atlanta duo will have its hands full against the Pacers. Indiana had a season-high 57 rebounds against the Wizards on Sunday and has had 50-plus rebounds in six of the last 10 games. But coach Nate McMillan said the team needs to focus on ball security. Indiana ranks 17th in the NBA with 15.0 turnovers per game.
This is the second of four meetings between the two teams. The Pacers won 97-89 on Nov. 17 and have won the last three meetings and six of the last seven against Atlanta. In an odd scheduling twist, they will meet again on New Year's Eve in Indianapolis.
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