The Atlanta Hawks will try to extend their winning streak to seven games on Sunday evening when they host the Nikola Jokic-led Denver Nuggets.
Atlanta won its sixth straight game, the longest active winning streak by an Eastern Conference team, by beating the Los Angeles Lakers 134-132 in overtime on Friday.
The Nuggets have lost two straight, including a surprising 122-113 defeat at Washington on Saturday that ended the Wizards’ 16-game losing streak. Jokic scored a career-high 56 points — 23 in the third quarter — and added 16 rebounds and eight assists.
The Nuggets swept the series against Atlanta last season, winning 129-122 in Atlanta and rolling to a lopsided 142-110 win in Denver. The Nuggets have won the past three meetings between the teams.
Atlanta got a historic effort from Trae Young in its win over the Lakers. Young hit the game-winning shot, scored 31 points and had 20 assists to become the first player in franchise history to have at least 30 points and 20 assists in a game. He also had four rebounds and two steals.
“My confidence comes from the work that I’ve put in over the years,” Young said. “I’ve put so much work in and so many hours over the years that a few missed shots, even in the last few games, isn’t going to stop me from shooting the next 3.”
During its six-game winning streak, Atlanta is averaging 122.7 points, nearly five higher than its season average of 117.3. Young averages 21.2 points and a league-best 12.3 assists per game, with Jalen Johnson at 19.8 points and 9.9 rebounds and De’Andre Hunter averaging 19.2.
“I’m proud of the way we’re playing, but not because, not relative to any other team or any past,” Atlanta coach Quin Snyder said. “These guys are their own team. For them to continue to build an identity that they can feel and replicate I think is the main thing.”
Jokic is averaging 31.4 points, 13.6 rebounds and 10.3 assists a game this season. His numbers are subdued against the Hawks. In 18 career games against Atlanta, he is averaging 18.6 points, 10.9 rebounds and 6.7 assists.
Denver trailed by as many as 15 points in the third quarter Saturday and could not dig out of the hole.
“I don’t care if a team is 20-3 like Cleveland or have lost 16 in a row like Washington, if you wait to start playing hard in this league, what happened tonight is exactly what’s going to happen to you,” Denver coach Michael Malone said. “We’ve seen this happen time and time again.”
After a five-game winning streak in early November, the Nuggets have gone 4-7. Malone said the problems are on defense.
“We have a lot of issues, mainly on the defensive end of the floor,” he said. “We play a team on (Sunday) that’s won six in a row. That’s one thing about the NBA, no one feels sorry for you, and we have to all realize that we all have to start participating in our own recovery. No one is going to give you an olive branch.”
