There’s no place like home. And there is no place like the road.
Both are true the way the Hawks are playing these days.
Atlanta opens a four-game-in-five-nights road trip Tuesday at Philadelphia. The show then moves to Boston Wednesday, Toronto Friday and Chicago Saturday.
The Hawks start the trip having won eight straight and 12 of the past 13 away from home since Nov. 25. The lone blemish was a one-point loss at Orlando on a last-second shot Dec. 13, the second of back-to-back games with the Magic.
“I know we’ve had road success but we’ve just been treating them like home games,” Kyle Korver said. “I know it’s different … but I really think we’ve done a good job of treating every game like it’s its own game no matter where it is. Playing the way we want to play and taking care of business. It doesn’t feel like we’ve changed much up. We’ve done a good job of locking up, staying consistent and being who we want to be.”
The Hawks (29-8) are the hottest team in the NBA. They have won eight straight overall and 22 of the past 24 games. Already this season, they’ve had winning streaks of nine, five and eight (current) games. They had one five-game winning streak all of last season.
The Hawks led the Eastern Conference by 3-1/2 games over the Bulls and Raptors, teams they will play on this trip. Winning on the road has been a big reason for such success. They are 13-5 away from home, tied for the second-most road wins in the NBA.
“I like playing on the road,” Korver said. “I like trying to silence the crowd and feeling the frustration that maybe they have. It’s part of being a competitor. It’s fun to play in front of your fans and get them going but it’s also fun to silence the other crowd.”
Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer and several players insisted Monday that there is no secret to their road success. They simply repeat the same mantras. Take it one game at a time. Play Hawks basketball. Defense comes first.
Defense has been a constant in the Hawks’ recent run of results.
“I keep talking to the group that if you are good defensively, you are going to have a chance,” Budenholzer said. “Some nights you are going to make shots. Some nights you’re not. (There will be times) when you go cold or things aren’t going well offensively but every night we should be good defensively and give ourselves a chance. I give our guys credit. There is room for improvement and we need to get better. But they understand how important for us to be good defensively.”
The Hawks are fourth in the NBA in fewest points allowed at 97.2 per game and tied for fourth in opponents’ field goal percentage at .438.
In other key statistics, the Hawks are sixth in the NBA in steals at 9.0 per game and eight in turnovers created at 15.2 per game.
Budenholzer said he pays the most attention to defensive efficiency statistics. He said he will, from time to time, share some numbers with the team to hammer home a point.
Generally, such statistics are not a concern for the Hawks. They know when they are playing the right way defensively. The results speak for themselves.
“No,” said Al Horford when asked if he pays attention to the statistics. “But I do look at the standings though. I definitely look at that. I’m not going to lie to you guys. I look at that. … I’ve been here eight years. It’s fun and I’m enjoying every game that I play.”
About the Author
