Atlanta's road trip continues tonight with the Hawks taking on the Golden State Warriors. The Hawks are looking to snap a three-game losing streak in what is expected to be Kirk Hinrich's debut tonight.
Hinrich and Hilton Armstrong were acquired earlier in the week from the Washington Wizards in exchange for Mike Bibby, Mo Evans, and Jordan Crawford. Hinrich is expected to help improve Atlanta's defense from the point guard position and he will be tested early tonight by having to guard the likes of Golden State's Stephen Curry and Monta Ellis.
Perimeter defense has been a big problem for Atlanta of late but it hasn't been the only problem. The team has seemed out of sync offensively and has been living exclusively on the perimeter. The Hawks need to get the ball inside tonight and look for some easier shots against a Warriors team that still isn't that big on defense. Atlanta will be able to force some tough matchups for the Warriors but it remains to be seen as to whether or not they will take advantage and make the game easier on themselves.
The Warriors just had a three-game winning streak snapped by the Celtics but have been playing some good basketball winning seven of their last 10 games. They are 19-12 at home on the season and won't be rolling over for the Hawks.
Atlanta defeated Golden State 103-93 in December in Atlanta. In that game, the Hawks did a good job defensively against Monta Ellis and Stephen Curry holding them to 12 and nine points respectively. Dorrell Wright had an outstanding game for the Warriors scoring 32 points. For Atlanta Josh Smith and Al Horford both recorded double-doubles inside as the Hawks pounded Golden State in the paint. If they want to be successful, they should follow that same recipe in tonight's game.