Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer pointed to the time his team spent together, especially off the court, and the growth of the NBA as the positives from last week’s regular-season game in London. The team’s performance in the 17-point loss to the Nets is another matter.
Couldn’t the same positives be accomplished with an exhibition game? One where a team didn’t have to travel more than 8,000 miles and several time zones to play?
“I just go wherever the schedule tells me,” Budenholzer said Monday, before the Hawks’ first game since the loss in London. “There are differences between regular-season games and preseason games. I’m sure the NBA thinks it’s important and valuable for them to see a game that is competitive and means something to the players and to everybody involved. Maybe that’s the thinking behind it. Like I said, I just go wherever they tell me.”
Nunnally contract: The 10-day contract of James Nunnally expires Tuesday. If the Hawks elect to re-sign the forward to a second and final 10-day contract it likely would happen Wednesday. That would give Nunnally six more games with the team, as the second deal would expire following the Jan. 31 game at the 76ers.
Nunnally appeared in one game for the Hawks before Monday. The NBA Development League signee scored his first career NBA points against the Nets with five points in eight minutes.
Looking for lessons: The Hawks took the Heat to overtime, losing 121-119 on Dec. 23, in their previous meeting. Budenholzer said despite the loss, there are positives to take from such a game against the two-time defending world champions.
“The more we are tested, the more we are challenged, by a team like Miami, I think the better we are going to be,” Budenholzer said. “The way we played in that game, there were a lot of positives. We can always learn from that. Hopefully, we can come out and execute and make less mistakes and make it even more difficult for them to score. That is easier said than done.”
Etc.: The Hawks made their regular appearance on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, and the game was kicked off with a tribute. Bernice King, daughter of the civil-rights leader, and DeMarre Carroll addressed the crowd before the tipoff. King thanked the crowd and urged the observance of the No Shots Fired non-violence campaign. … Miami's Dwyane Wade missed Monday's game as part of the continuing program to rest his knees. The All-Star guard has not played in any of the three meetings against the Hawks this season.
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