Winners of five of the past six games, including three straight, and four in a row on the road the Hawks are again playing with the confidence they showed early in the season.
Following Monday’s blowout win at the Pistons, Josh Smith said the Hawks (32-23) have a swagger similar to that of their early season success (20-10). The key going forward will be to keep that swagger without becoming overconfident. The Hawks continue a six-game road trip Wednesday against the Jazz.
“It’s a fine line,” Devin Harris said. “We went through a stretch after the run at the beginning of the season where we were up and down. I don’t mind the overconfidence if we are playing at a consistent level. You may drop one game you shouldn’t but you win more games than most.”
Coach Larry Drew pointed to the return of unselfish play for the recent successes. The Hawks remain second in the NBA is assists per game (24.2) and had 31 in the win over the Pistons. He singled out a fast-break layup by Smith in which several players touched the ball before the basket.
“That really felt good,” Drew said. “We haven’t always been like that over the years I’ve been here but now we have bought into it, have committed to it.”
Pachulia practices
Center Zaza Pachulia was a full practice participant Tuesday. Pachulia sat out Monday’s game against the Pistons when his right Achilles was too sore to play. He already missed six games due to the injury.
The Hawks will wait to see how Pachulia responds to the workout before determining his status against the Jazz.
Pachulia was light-hearted about the flare up on Tuesday.
I know what the problem is – offensive rebounds are hurting my Achilles,” Pachulia joked.
He referenced the eight offensive rebounds he had against the Bucks Saturday, with a franchise record seven coming in the second quarter.
“I had no idea until after the game,” Pachulia said. “It’s great. My name will be in the game notes for some time. I got eight offensive rebounds in 20 minutes. I could have had 16 if I played 40 minutes.
Long-range Horford
Al Horford hit his first 3-pointer of the season, the final of his 23-point effort against the Pistons. The center said he works on this 3-point shot every day in practice in case it is necessary. However, it’s not ready to unleash it on a regular basis.
“It’s something I hope to add to my game at some point,” Horford said.
Home-court advantage
The Jazz are 21-6 at home this season. Two main reasons are the Energy Solutions Arena crowd and the Salt Lake City altitude. Two former Jazz players have first-hand experience. Harris and Kyle Korver each played several seasons with Utah. The arena is set up with fans very close to the court.
“It can get pretty loud,” Harris said. “It can get pretty intimidating. They come out every game to support the team and you respect that. It’s definitely a difficult place to play as a visitor.”
Korver said the effects of the altitude in the city are noticeable on opposing players. The elevation of the city is 4,330 feet. He said your lungs burn after a quarter of play when not used to the thin air. It’s one of the reasons the Hawks practiced Tuesday despite arriving from Detroit in the early-morning hours.
“We could fall behind by 20 points in the first half but we knew we could catch up in the second half,” Korver said.
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