This one has been circled on calendars for weeks.
The Hawks host the Warriors Friday in a battle of the top two teams in the NBA. The best of the East meets the best of the West.
A possible preview of the NBA Finals?
Well, that’s months away. However, it’s hard to downplay the significance of the 41-9 Hawks playing the 39-8 Warriors. According to Elias Sports Bureau, this will be the first time teams with single-digit losses have met this late in the season since Feb. 8, 2009 when the Lakers played the Cavaliers.
The Hawks defeated the Wizards Wednesday after having a 19-game win streak snapped Monday at the Pelicans. They lead the Eastern Conference by eight games over the Raptors and by 19.5 games over the eighth-place Heat. The Hawks are 13-3 against Western Conference teams with losses at the Spurs, versus the Lakers and at the Pelicans.
The Hawks did not practice Thursday in advance of the game, opting for a day of treatment and recovery, and had no media availability.
The Warriors hold a three-game lead over the Grizzlies in the Western Conference. They will start a stretch of 10 of 11 road games against the Hawks. They have a four-game East coast trip before the All-Star break and return a six-game trip after hosting the Spurs Feb. 20 following the hiatus. The Warriors, who had a 16-game win streak earlier this season to nearly match the Hawks, are 14-1 against the Eastern Conference. The lone loss came to the Bulls on Jan. 27.
The Warriors have won three straight, including a 128-114 win over the Mavericks Wednesday. The Warriors trailed by as many as 22 points at home before winning thanks to a season-high 51 point performance by Stephen Curry. The guard was 16 of 26 from the field, including 10 3-pointers. His backcourt partner Klay Thompson had a 52-point game last week. According to Elias, the Warriors are the seventh team in NBA history to have two or more 50-point scorers in the same season. The last time in occurred was the 1994-95 season with the Mavericks Jim Jackson and Jamal Mashburn and the 76ers Dana Barros and Willie Burton.
The Hawks have lost five straight games, including three in Atlanta, to the Warriors.
The game also features a matchup of the All-Star Game coaches in Mike Budenholzer and Steve Kerr. Each earned the honor by having the best record in the conference last week. Budenholzer was an assistant with the Spurs when Kerr was on the roster for four seasons (1998-2001, 2002-03). They pair together won NBA Championships in 1999 and 2003.
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