It’s hard to argue with the benefits of an off day for Kyle Korver.
The Hawks guard was mired in a shooting slump for more than a month. His frustration was becoming evident as he couldn’t find his rhythm.
So when the team departed for a road game at Philadelphia last week, coach Mike Budenholzer told Korver to stay home. Get away from the game and clear your mind, he said. Korver missed the March 7 loss to the 76ers and didn’t touch a basketball during the brief time off. A weight lifting session and a chiropractic appointment were his only work-related activities.
There was plenty to get away from. Since Feb. 4, Korver was shooting 36.2 percent, including 34.6 percent from 3-point range.
However, in the three games since the hiatus, Korver is shooting 72 percent (18 of 25) from the field. That includes a stunning 73.7 percent (14 of 19) from long distance.
“I’m feeling better,” Korver said after in a win over the Suns Friday. “That happens over the course of the season, you go through shooting slumps here and there. That one was a little longer than I wanted it to be. It feels a little better right now.”
Korver’s last three games look like this:
* 20 points on 7 of 9 shooting (6 of 8 from 3-point) in a win over the Kings.
* 18 points on 6 of 8 shooting (5 of 7 from 3-point) in a loss to the Nuggets.
* 14 points on 5 of 8 shooting (3 of 4 from 3-point) in a win over the Suns.
Heading into Sunday’s game against the Lakers, Korver has made a 3-pointer in 51 straight games. It’s still a far cry from the NBA-record 127-game streak that ended last season. His final 3-pointer against the Suns was the 1,700th of his career, placing him 12th on the NBA’s all-time list. He is 19 shy of Dale Ellis for 11th place.
Despite the slump, Korver remains the top 3-point shooter in the NBA this season at 50.4 percent (192 of 381). He continues his quest for the 50-50-90 club, something he admitted was a distraction during his downturn. Korver’s field goal percentage is 49.9 percent, 21st in the NBA and so close to the benchmark. He is shooting 90.2 percent from the free-throw line, although he currently does not have enough attempts to qualify among the league leaders.
Korver saw a familiar face against the Suns. Coach Jeff Hornacek was the shooting coach for the Jazz when Korver joined the team.
“When he got traded there and I was working with Andrei (Kirilenko),” Hornacek said. “He came up to me and said, ‘Hey, will you work with me on my shot?’ I’m thinking, ‘Well, you don’t need a whole lot. You’re already a great shooter.’
“But there it is, the willingness of a guy who is at the level he was already, to say what else can do I do to get better.”
Hornacek he worked on getting Korver to shoot with more arc, saying he shot “a line, line drive.”
Despite his experience with Korver, the Suns couldn’t contain him late. The Hawks had three 3-pointers through the first three quarters. They may five in the fourth quarter, including two by Korver, en route to the win.
“Nobody leaves the guy,” Hornacek said of defending Korver. “They’re on him at all times and he still shoots that percentage so it’s phenomenal what he’s doing.”
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