Hawks could show new look against Warriors
The Atlanta Hawks hope to ride the momentum of a big win at Denver and the addition of reinforcements when they go for a second straight Western road victory Sunday night against the Golden State Warriors on what could be a big day for the Curry family.
Getting a first career triple-double from Dyson Daniels in his new role of running the show in place of traded Trae Young, the Hawks used a fourth-quarter surge to bury the Nuggets 110-87 on Friday night to open a four-game Western swing.
Atlanta's second straight win came without Kristaps Porzingis (strained Achilles) and Zaccharie Risacher (sore left knee), and as they await the arrival of CJ McCollum and Corey Kispert, acquired Friday from the Washington Wizards in exchange for Young, a four-time All-Star guard.
All four could be in uniform Sunday.
With Daniels at the head of the attack both offensively and defensively, the Hawks responded with their fewest points allowed this season.
"The more aggressive we can be, that helps our group," Hawks coach Quin Snyder explained to the media after the win. "That mentality is something we've talked about and can get better at."
Hawks-Warriors games in recent years have been high-scoring. The teams have split their last eight meetings, with the winning team putting up an average of 129.6 points.
Four of those last eight meetings featured a head-to-head between the offensive-minded Young and Stephen Curry, with the Golden State star splurging for an average of 35.6 points in those duels. The stretch included 50 points in a home win in 2021 and 60 in a road victory in 2024.
Curry enters this Young-less matchup on a nice roll, having averaged 29.8 points on 40% 3-point shooting in 13 games since returning from a bruised left quad.
The flurry has allowed his father/son career point total with dad Dell to reach 38,889, just six shy of second place on the NBA all-time list. The Currys can pass Joe and Kobe Bryant (38,895) with seven points Sunday, which would leave them chasing only LeBron and Bronny James.
Curry had 27 points as part of his second double-double of the season with 10 assists in a 137-103 blowout home win over the Sacramento Kings on Friday. It was Golden State's second straight win at the beginning of an eight-game homestand.
Warriors coach Steve Kerr assured reporters after the success that his team's recent surge of eight wins in 11 games is more than just Curry-generated.
"We're in a good groove with our rotation," he noted, singling out De'Anthony Melton (19 points) and Al Horford (nine) among a reserve crew that totaled 66 points against the Kings. "It helps to have Melt and Al both healthy and playing well; it feels like the version of the team that we expected. We're getting into a good groove."
If McCollum makes his Hawks debut Sunday, he certainly won't be a stranger to the Warriors. Having spent his first 8 1/2 seasons in Portland, the veteran has faced Golden State 33 times in the regular season and 13 more in the playoffs.
Kispert also has a link to Golden State. He was available when the Warriors selected both Jonathan Kuminga (seventh) and Moses Moody (14) in the 2021 draft. Kispert went 15th to Washington.